Tolutau cited for

Class B misdemeanor possession or use of a controlled substance, according to Jacob Hatch and Jay Drew (Salt Lake Tribune). With the 2 arrests this past weekend (both no longer BYU students for a couple of weeks) and now Tolutua, what is going on underneath the program “covers.”

We’re not in Crowton-era territory, yet. But this is starting to look like this season is not all the coaches’ fault (unless their loss of control of the players with all of these arrests and outside-of-football things is on them. I don’t see a pattern yet, but there are disturbing indications that a pattern might be emerging).

What I’m saying is that it may be that enough players aren’t committed to BYU excellence this year and have off-field problems to where it’s affecting the overall team morale.

When it rains, it pours this season!

It’s bad. That’s all I can say, but what we see is the tip of the iceberg, and, if Sitake doesn’t get it under control fast, he will be in real trouble, real soon.

The controlled substance was marijuana. How long has he returned from his mission. So RM, recently returned from mission, chose BYU and smoking marijuana. In this case I cannot see, “Well he just did a dumb young person’s mistake” philosophy.

I only saw those wrods “Controled Substance” from one article. Do you have the source it was marijuana? I guess it doesn’t matter it is a substance.
Wow, talk about down hill on BYU Football!
I remember Gary Crowton doesn’t care about the Honor Code and always looking for the best players he can find that fit for him and he was done coaching at the Y when his kids ran afoul.
I am sure Coach Kalani Sitake will work really hard in another department “off the field” and working hard to get his current team on the right playing field. Off the field is another ball game that he has to deal with.
And now we know that it didn’t mattered about Francis Bernard and Marvin Hifo, they were release from Coach Sitake and left the school two weeks ago according to DN. I do care about those kids and hope they will take care of their issues.
What a nightmare!

It will just be very bad if we start having a drip, drip of incidents like this, turning into a stream.

Things like this may be an indication of deeper, systemic problems of attitude and commitment. We might just have too large of a number of bad attitude players on the team, and that can be poison no matter how much talent or coaching acumen there is.

I think that’s too harsh about Crowton. He did have too many off-field “thug” incidents, and lost control of some on the team that way, but I don’t think it was that he didn’t care about the Honor Code.

On 1280 The Zone radio about the marijuana.

So, did he not strengthen his testimony while on his mission? I know missionaries sometimes struggle after they return from the spiritual high. But, he knew it was wrong and BYU has the HC. Not a kid mistake. Something else is going on.

I know it is pretty harsh on Gary Crowton, Maybe Tom Holmoe & BOT need to put together to hire someone to handle those players. This year has been bad and my head really numb about Ula Tolutah BYU is a big responsibility when comes to coaching AND controlling those players OFF THE FIELD! Head Coach can’t do two things at the same time. Its like another church calling what Bronco had to go through. It is crazy that a Head Coach may have to do all those things with little pay, you think.

Wait, each member student has a stake president, a bishop, an elders quorum president and a home teacher to watch over. Then, they have several coaches, all teaching and talking to them about keeping the commandments. About keeping the honor code too. These are adults, not 6 year olds. To put all this on the coach is ridiculous…

When there is a large pattern, the coach is the fall guy. Even though, as you point out, others bear responsibility, too. We don’t have a large pattern, yet, but Bernard, Hifo, and Tulatau in two days is not good (yes, I realize that Bernard wasn’t enrolled and Hifo has quit the team, but they are still casualties from this year).

An RM smoking pot? Get rid of him. I wouldn’t give a second chance for that.

I was fearful when we had reestablished the poly pipeline that these issues often come with it.,… They are great people and no matter what your ethnicity, people can have HC issues, but the traditions in the poly cultures sometimes are hard on the young men when things get tough. The HC tends to be a stumbling block in a greater percentage in poly athletes from what I have observed. This comment is not intended to be racist in the least.

BYU has made some substantive changes in the athletic department in the past year and devotes a LOT of resources–people and money–to providing excellent supports for the players. I have a lot of personal experience with the department, know many of the people involved, have seen them in action, and trust them. BYU is providing tremendous resources, but in the end it’s always on the individual player to make good choices. Additionally, those players often listen to their coaches more than they do to support staff, because the coaches have leverage (PT) that others don’t, so there is a HUGE responsibility on the coaches to set proper expectations and boundaries and champion that behavior so that the ENTIRE TEAM buys in. I think it’s a really tough job to balance being a “players’ coach” with building a coaching staff that preaches and results in proper team discipline and conformity, and Kalani is learning the hard way. I have not met him but still believe he can and will get the job done. But I’m here to tell you the supports are in place…

You don’t think Tolatau deserves to be helped? And, like others in the past we now put on a pedestal, why so mean?

Tom it was very insightful and yes I believe Kalani will get the job done too. You think his ward, stake members…etc of what SG was saying would take care of that but I think the coaches and players are the one that they trust each other. Anyway, I feel a little better now. I like to see Ula fix his problem. Look at KVN at reno with his DUI and he did fix his problem and did well at BYU. So why not Ula do the same and he can get some help which I agree what SG said above.

A slap on the wrist doesn’t help him. “Treatment” and “counseling” doesn’t either, for that matter. It certainly doesn’t help him learn consequences. He’s served a mission, he’s our best running back, and he got cited for marijuana. I want to amend my “get rid of him” to “suspend him.” Kyle Van Noy and others have had suspensions, and as we’re BYU, we need to have a better standard than “win at all cost” programs.

However, if other shoes continue to drop and there are a spate of other arrest issues, very harsh measures are needed. The message has to be crystal clear that this will not be tolerated; doubly so when we’re struggling with team attitude, morale, and commitment.

I don’t know the circumstances of the citation. Was he driving like KVN was? Perhapse a suspension for a game or two on his first offense.

Since when are you an expert on what works and doesn’t when it comes to this sort of thing? The Church brethren seem to think programs and therapy work or at leas help.

Just my own experience in working with people (two times as a bishop). Modern people want “counseling” and “treatment,” but it only does any good if people would have done it on their own, anyway without it. Bootstraps, determination, etc. are the key, and many modern people have what President Packer called “counsel-itis,” where they just want “counseling” but don’t want to have to make the personal actions needed. They are comforted by the thought of eternal counseling.

Marijuana is a whole other issue. It’s totally a choice, and a choice anyone can choose not to do. It’s a matter of not caring about team, school, or Church rules and standards — not an “addiction” that people are powerless against.

I agree about the disregard for the team and school by getting involved with stupid habits. But, the counciling is a different issue. We have alcoholics in our ward that have been clean for years but went through the help needed with counciling and support.
My daughter was abused by her ex-husband. She needed extensive support and counciling. After 8 years she finally made a major break through. She still needs ocassional support to talk her feelings through as well as other issues. I would say it’s been a success.