The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 08, 1989, Page 3, Image 3
Ryan's song
Ryan Bethea was no saint
he deserves accurate mem
The name Ryan Bethea has begun to fade from tl
USC football fans, students and faculty. It's been m
since the lanky wide receiver attended USC ? st
the NCAA stripped him of his eligibility.
Now he's no longer playing in the NFL, either.
He has faded into anonymity like so many other
out for one reason or another. In Ryan's case, he
cause he couldn't decide if he liked being free m
the right thing ? he didn't like football, but he die
or work, either.
Ryan's name has faded from our minds, most
memory 01 ms reamy sun lingers nice me cousin w
just couldn't get his life in order.
When you mention the name of Ryan Bethea to
umbia, you hear words like: "thief, head case, taler
cipline problem" and words like "drug user" and "ci
While it is true that Ryan had a particulary shad;
deserve the exoneration in our minds on one count.
Shortly before he left USC in 1988, Ryan wa
charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine \
in the Russell House parking lot. He denied the <
and said he was framed.
No one believed him.
He was dropped from the team, shunned by the c
laughed at by his peers.
But then it was learned he really was framed. Thi
dropped, and the police officer was brought uj
charges.
But, still nobody believed Ryan. Anytime you
name all you heard about was that arrest and how 1
gie. He is remembered not for the 77-yard reception
go ahead touchdown against Clemson, but for the ai
House's parking lot.
That's how his memory rests in USC fans' eyes t
is not a fair way to recall him.
Ryan did get arrested for stealing a radar detector
a plane ticket illegally from a sports agent and he
TEDDY LEPP Assistant Adveru!
JEFFREY B. THOM
Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be,
300 words long. The writer should include full name, professional title if an employee t
resident, or year and major if a student. An address and phone number are required wit
editorials should not exceed 500 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for style
Gamecock will not withhold names under any circumstance.
, but ^
iory ss
te memories of (j
ore than a year j
tucking it after
stars who bum
: burnt out be
ore than doing ' ip?'
In't like school
of us, but the "VOUT
e all have who
people in Col?adi
F00tball ti
y past, he docs ^ ,
Garnet and Black.
. . Saturdays. The theme IM., i
s arrested and from "2001." Seventy
vhile in his car thousand. Debauchery. |B
irugs were his Sr.alninP Alma Mater H
" --r--0. f w
Carolina football 4
immunity and games. JHL **
Rah. Rah. Rah.
- charges were s universityis HH|
" ^. making it even more
) on his own difficult for me to be a
fan of football games
mentioned his ? and I didn't think Ar
le was a drug- that was possible. But ,
that set up the with my own PreJu" Lo?
Test in Russell dices aside, anyone
must agree that student
, ?, , ticket distribution has become ... am
oday. But that re[entive.
For the first time in years, I was go
, he did accept the impossible. I was going to go whe
was generally never gone before. I was going to seel
ot possess the out. . . uh . . . pardon the digression.
plain, I was going to get a football tic
\ at lpau/hm Blindly, I followed the crowds, hop
i cu itdM wneii shQved intQ the dght Unes And when
irately. failed, someone just told me. It would
and painless, I thought. Just give then
E ? and ....
"!
I Letters to tl
1J Conway coach
/I was no racist
H ?jm |? To the editor:
" g/* 'ft ?L I have been a resident of Conway
for more than 10 years and
was graduated from Conway High
y School in 1989.1 feel that the artih
.1 _ ttn. _ _ j tt n i
<tef e :>ianci UP m 1116 5ePi-1 issue
of The Gamecock unfairly portrays
the situation.
Having played varsity sports at
Conway High, I have come to
|K|fp know the coaching staff and can
say that none of them discriminate
against anyone on the basis of race
You insist racism is the motive
for replacing a black quarterback
with a white one. Why was it not
racism then, when, during ConSrlll|pR
way's 1983 football season, white
Rl|?p|P quarterback Robby Squatriglia was
replaced with black quarterback
* Laverne Reddick? The same head
] coach made both decisions.
i A few more facts about this
coach were also left unmentioncd.
As printed in The State Sunday,
Sept. 3, Conway football players
were dismissed from the team for
SgS^S^^J"' missirig consecutive practices just
before the season opener, and "any
1<^ZjA?T20T~ player who wished to return could
too*f?r-pdw.?M approach (the coach) individually.
. .six returned." These athletes
were not being punished for
k standing up for their beliefs!
Another fact you failed to mention
was about the "black middle
school teacher" who is not merely
>rn Region the "group's spokesman," as you
suggest. He is the local chapter
, ? .., president of the NAACP and he
aphy Editor " , , ... ~ ,
)N was suspended with pay. Only you
have him suspended without pay.
Y In closing, I would like to say
that racism does exist everywhere.
But every problem concerning a
Editor black and a white is not racism.
I can sympathize with this situalt
tion because Conway High is my
alma mater, and I know the people
r involved. I sympathize with the
players who walked out, can no
at Media longer play and may have risked a
college future.
ger I also feel sympathy for all the
junior varsity players who now
ion Manager start on varsity against players
twice their size and strength. But I
feel worst for the people who are
not> ant* should not be, involved
;in2 Manacer with this situation- % screaming
PSqN accusations and presenting biased
or untrue accounts (from either
, ai a maximum, zsv to , . x . - :
viih use or Columbia side), the damage only increases,
h an letters sent, diesi Newspapers articles, editorials and
or possible libei. The negative overexposure will not
solve anything. Only the parties in
opposed to all authority figures. But, Ryan did n<
marijuana and cocaine the police said he did.
His memory is never going to be a good one, bul
you think about him and trash his name, trash it acci
*OH, LOOK, DEAR, ISN'T THAT NICI
THEY'RE ON A CRUISE, TOO'
f 3uu
/ \ W?'Te
\ \ "Vtfssst. \
\ %*., V
/VN
The Gamecoc
Best Non-daily Collegiate Newspaper, Southeastt
Society of Professional Journalists, 1987-88
Editor in Chief Assistant Photogr
WAYNE WASHINGTON JULIE BOUCHILLC
Copy Desk Chief Viewpoint Editor
KATHY BLACK WELL JEFF SHREWSBUR
Assistant Copy Desk Chief Datebook Editor
ROBYN THOMPSON JAN PHILLIPS
News Editor Comics/Graphics
KELLY THOMAS R0B LANE
Assistant News Editors Graduate Assistai
D. R. HAYNES KRISTIN FRANCIS
JEFF WILSON Gamecock Advise
Carolina Life Editor ERIK COLLINS
ROBERT THOMAS Director of Studei
Assistant Carolina Life Editor BONZA
LYNN GIBSON Production Mana;
Sports Editor LAURA S. DAY
CHRIS SILVESTRI Assistant Product
Assistant Sports Editor RAY BURGOS
BRANT LONG Advertising Mana
Photography Editor MARGARET MICH]
Hi
AKE SESAME STREET? I'LL TAKI
ickets give
"I'm going to have tc
M|r* "Excuse me? What d
Is this some sort of c
$?* St man really believe it's i
"This card has been i
fe * JL take it. We're suppose<
? ^ f| marked lost."
M Hey, wait a minute, t
have to have that to eat
me 10 bucks, and I don
another one.
mmEwNk By now I was getting
ny man was thinking that I
old ID to get a extra tic!
knew that I had absolut*
extra tickets out of her.
further from the truth. I
tl ticket for another studer
this is impossible.)
ing to do "I don't understand. 1
:re I had buy food."
k "Have you ever lost i
To be re-validated?"
ket. Oh. We had stumbled
ing to get zation. If you lose a can
that validated for food, it wc
be quick things like the library .
i your ID Great.
I have to keep this v
1 'I''' '" !! "
be editor
' HI in 11(1111111
volved can reach a settlement.
I simply write to encourage interested
followers of this story to
first examine all the facts and keep
everything in its proper
perspective.
Jennifer Aiosa
Marine science freshman
Parking lots
pain in the...
To the editor:
The other night I sat mulling
over the parking situation or,
rather, the lack of parking situation,
and wondering why I had
gotten a GS sticker this year instead
of the CS sticker I had last
year. Wondering why there were
no commuter student lots and why
all the parking spaces were taken
up by those poor little things
dreaming nice thoughts in their
frilly cots in Capstone.
And it came to me. When the
order went from this institution to.
that Jnetiliittr?n ^thw matp narlrinor
UIUL 11 lO llkULlV/l? ^Uivy Kiuivv *V*.
stickers at the same place license
plates are traditionally made, don't
they?), the Mogul in charge here
let the fact that he didnn't learn
much about readin' and writin'
(didn't learn 4G's at all) in school
creep out. " A 4G' ? a 4C\" sez
he. "What's the difference?" But
his sharp-eyed subordinates knew
that there might be questions from
some of the lowly, so they concocted
this plan. You see it all
now, don't you?
Sez the Mogul, "Them dumb
bunnies will never know the difference,
and we'll save three or four
hundred bucks. We'll just hunker
down real low and pretend we
planned it all the time." Mr. Mogul,
you sure fooled me.
David Gore
TA English
All students
deserve respect
To the editor:
Today I witnessed an event
which irks me greatly. While waiting
in line at the office of Parking
and Registration, an international
student was in the process of exchanging
a student sticker for a
UT sticker. Apparently there was a
misunderstanding and the student
had picked up the wrong decal
during registration. The student
was very polite, and the problem
was solved.
After the international student
= MR ROGFR'F MF/RURneurir>r> r "
w?' ? ?' ' w# M\SWLS
'columnist
) keep this. Sorry." ladies over t
0 you mean? It's me! She was s
for football i
ruel joke? Can this wo- she called m
tot me? "Wait a n
eported LOST, I have to And she gav
1 to take cards that are wasn't supp<
was no con;
hat's my cash card. I
! A new one would cost On my w;
't have the money to get brooding ov
to get a tick
; kind of tense. This wo- I would prol
was trying to use an an ID for sil
ket. Horrors! If she only ruffled my (
ily no desire to scam
Nothing could be The ladie:
was only trying to get a that I had pi
it. (We now know that student Bas
said they die
rhe card works when I were rejectii
down on a p
t before and then got it IDs."
I upon a startling reali- Did they i
d and then get it re- I try to use i
?n't work for other even though
. . like football tickets. and says I'rr
No, I didr
/hile you go talk to the Go 'Cock
>V ,v'? '
: 1&
in
left the office, the office workers
snickered, and one stated, "I wish
all those UT people would go back
where they came from." Such a
callous statement makes me angry.
That international sudent has paid
his fees and deserves the same opportunity
that all students have at
USC. He deserves the same respect
and courtesy other students
receive.
The international community at
USC deserves an apology. Let us
hope the office worker's attitude
doesn't prevail in other university
departments.
Chris Burnette
Retailing senior
Fair shouldn't
define artistic
To the editor:
It is obvious that Rep. Mike Fair '
is not satisfied to have meddled in
the affairs of the student body just 1
once. Having restricted and possibly
completely cancelled the visitation
privileges of on-campus
students, he has now found another'
"sin" that is being committed at
USC. Last time we had little
chance to respond to the representative's
actions in Utai everything
was kept low-key until it was too
late. That is not the case this time,
and I think we, as students, need to
take advantage of this. I mean, HE
certainly took advantage of US last
year! We mustn't let him flex his
political muscle this time.
Rep. Fair, just WHO do you
think you are?!? It is beyond the
power of any single man to define
art for the masses. Art can ONLY
be defined by the beauty it engenders
upon the viewer. It is impossible
for you to tell ME what lacks
or does not lack artistic content.
What you think is art may be comnlpfplv
rlifforpnt frnm what T hf?
lieve to be art For example, you
may think that sappy elevator
music is better than Bach, whereas
I would not think this way. Who
would be wrong in this situation?
No one. It is an opinionative
scenario.
In the case of the sexual content,
does that mean you would not let a
pre-18 year old see a presentation
of the book (in play or film form)
19841 This is considered one of
the CLASSICS of the literary 1
world, yet it contains sexual situations!
Most people view Oedipus
Dv.v An a 1i tarArir nlo oei/-? o1ca onH
aca as a uu/iai) auu, unu
this story is ABOUT sex!
I ask you to reflect on your position
on this. If you are honest
with yourself you will find that
' N :
headache
here; they'll tell you what to do."
ending me to a problem station ?
tickets. I started to walk away, but
ie back.
linute, I'll show you where it is."
re me back my card, which she
ased to do. I guess she realized I
artist
ay to the problem station, I was not
er the fact that I might not be able
st right away, but over the fact that
:>ably have to spend 10 bucks to get
ly football tickets. This really
jamecock feathers.
s at the problem station concluded
lid all my fees and was a full-time
ed on these two facts alone, they
In't understand why the scanners
ig my card. They wrote my name
liece of paper with other "problem
solve my problem? I doubt it. When
t again, it will still come up lost,
the problem station has my name
i entitled to tickets.
1't even buy a ticket,
s.
11 " 1 1 1
.
you haven't a valid one.
If every student writes to the
good representative now, we may
be able to open his eyes. If not, get
vour Darents to do so. And be sure
to remind him that both you AND
your parents vote!
Samuel E. Dunham III
Art studio sophomore
Fans shouldn't
get mad at band
To the editor:
Just imagine fans ? the first
USC football game of the year.
Carolina vs. Duke. The thrill, the
excitement and quite possibly the
agony of defeat. Now, march in
the Carolina band and multiply
those emotions by 100. To be on
that field in front of 72,000
screaming fans. Fans who adore
us? We have to wonder sometimes.
We spend hours and hours
in the sweltering sun practicing
drill after drill after drill. Why,
you may be asking? Because we
are proud to be a part of the University
of South Carolina and we
enjoy what we are doing. Do you
know what your gratification is for
all of that hard work? Not just performing
a good show, but knowing
that our fans have enjoyed and appreciated
it. After all, we do perform
for you.
Not only do we want your respect
on the field, but off the field
as well. Just this week we had an
occasion where a drunk, disgruntled
USC student/fan pushed
one of the girls in our color guard
into the bleachers. Not because he
was in a hurry, but because he just
did not want to wait for us to get
back up to our seats after performing.
This girl on the flag line had
to be carried out of the game and
spent the night at the hospital.
Now because of the injury to her
knee, she is not going to be able to
march.
After performing our hearts out,
all we ask is that you give us a
few minutes to get back to our
seats in the stadium. Only then can
we resume playing, once again for
you, our devoted fans. See, I did
not even ask you to watch the
show that we have worked so hard
on. All we ask of you is that you
respect us enough to let us do our
job. Those of you who do watch,
enjoy, and applaud our pregame
ana nairtime snows ? inanK you:
For those of you who don't, watch
us sometime. You just may be surprised
at how good we really are.
Lee McBride
The Carolina Flag line
Fashion merchandising senior