What is up with Ricky Ponton??????

[Minotaur]

As far as I am concerned posters should break any story that relates to USF football. If a reporter fails to report something because they fear a coaches reaction or believe they are helping the team then its a good things they report on sports and not the real news. If it affects who plays or how USF football is run and is not too personal then its news and is "fit to print."

I guess you could go around asking about and being told information that you[/] feel should be secret and not sharing it with others but I wonder then why you ask/listen.

[E.T.]

So you think rumors should be printed by the press ?

[Greg Auman]

Minotaur, the difference between you guys "reporting" stuff on this board and a reporter writing something is that you guys aren't accountable. If you're wrong, it's just some guy named Minotaur being wrong, end of story. You can even go back and "edit" your post and -- poof -- it's gone. If we're wrong, there are much bigger repercussions.

I've asked Leavitt directly about Ponton -- weeks before the possibility of a suspension showed up on this board -- and I asked him again Monday. Both times, he's specifically said no when asked if there was a suspension awaiting him at the start of the season. He's hardly the only person I've talked to about this. I've heard a lot of things from a lot of places, but nothing that makes me confident enough to report something. Leavitt said Monday that Ponton going to get work at fullback because he isn't keeping up with the competition as a primary running back. Freshman Keeley Dorsey now looks like the top backup.

Not sure where you're coming from on some of the comments. One week, you guys are complaining because the media is too negative, and now, we're hiding stories because we fear a coach's reaction, or because we only write good things about the team. It just gets confusing, to where I can't remember which stereotype I'm supposed to be trying to follow ...

[Bullpride08]

Minotaur, the difference between you guys "reporting" stuff on this board and a reporter writing something is that you guys aren't accountable. If you're wrong, it's just some guy named Minotaur being wrong, end of story. You can even go back and "edit" your post and -- poof -- it's gone. If we're wrong, there are much bigger repercussions.

I've asked Leavitt directly about Ponton -- weeks before the possibility of a suspension showed up on this board -- and I asked him again Monday. Both times, he's specifically said no when asked if there was a suspension awaiting him at the start of the season. He's hardly the only person I've talked to about this. I've heard a lot of things from a lot of places, but nothing that makes me confident enough to report something. Leavitt said Monday that Ponton going to get work at fullback because he isn't keeping up with the competition as a primary running back. Freshman Keeley Dorsey now looks like the top backup.

Not sure where you're coming from on some of the comments. One week, you guys are complaining because the media is too negative, and now, we're hiding stories because we fear a coach's reaction, or because we only write good things about the team. It just gets confusing, to where I can't remember which stereotype I'm supposed to be trying to follow ...

Don't forget greg, if a poster is wrong, or posts defaming, or erroneous information about a young man, despite how harmful it could be to that player's, or the coaches reputation they can just fall back on their anonymous and sometimes ignorant handles.  Clearly whatever it is the situation is nothing so outlandish that the coaches can't decide on a myriad of different ways to punish.  Maybe these three have been on their best behavior since, and the staff has decided that demotion on the depth chart to scout team, extra running, and monitoring is sufficient and no suspensions are necessary.

The point is this is a young man's life.  Coaches have it in their hands and Leavitt is choosing how to handle the disciplining.  Some internet folks think they've got a sense of entitlement with regard to information just because they post on these boards.   Man, Sheriff knows how easy it is to get in Leavitt's dog house sometimes it has no business in the public.

[CyberBull]

As far as I am concerned posters should break any story that relates to USF football. If a reporter fails to report something because they fear a coaches reaction or believe they are helping the team then its a good things they report on sports and not the real news. If it affects who plays or how USF football is run and is not too personal then its news and is "fit to print."

I guess you could go around asking about and being told information that you[/] feel should be secret and not sharing it with others but I wonder then why you ask/listen.

not to be a **** but....perhaps you would like to share all the circumstances on why a certain trophy wasn't purchased and what has happened to the money.

you may have had externuating circumstances about why a very public project went into the crapper, yet we have no details. Do you want your confidential personal life spilled online?

All I am saying is that some things need to be remain confidential...or at least until overwhelming evidence is available, otherwise it's not fair to the kids whose reputation your are spoiling. Case in point: what if this rumor was started by a fan from another school whose main purpose is to harm the school. Laugh if you want but there was a circle jerk of UCF fans ready to turn in  USF for having a camp in July over what was written on a message board. That was until they realized that every other school in the nation, including Florida the week before had similar camps. That one still makes me laugh...

Oh one more thing: since when did rumor become "news".  The internet is a great thing but is has spawned to many wannabe journalists w/o a clue about ethics.

[Zonald]

 

Not sure where you're coming from on some of the comments. One week, you guys are complaining because the media is too negative, and now, we're hiding stories because we fear a coach's reaction, or because we only write good things about the team. It just gets confusing, to where I can't remember which stereotype I'm supposed to be trying to follow ...

good observation.  The collective group is never happy here.  That's what message board banter is all about!  

[smazza]

Keys,

I second what you said.  It maybe should not have come from us, but it will come out eventually.  Dont people find it strange how 3 guys who were starting are not even on the radar any more.  Ponton, J. Julmiste, Chambers they will not play the 1st two game for violation of team rules.  Now when that comes out I dont know and will it last for more then 2 games I dont know.  Leavitt knows what he is doing, diverting all press away from these guys so that when they are not on the field it seems like they were not even on the 2 deep anyways.  Smart man.  

why wont josh jewelmiste play?

he is one of our best players?

bulliever- of course the fans deserve an honest answer why players arent playing.the fans would have gottne the answer had there been a reporter with guts to call leavitt on it.

[smazza]

Minotaur, the difference between you guys "reporting" stuff on this board and a reporter writing something is that you guys aren't accountable. If you're wrong, it's just some guy named Minotaur being wrong, end of story. You can even go back and "edit" your post and -- poof -- it's gone. If we're wrong, there are much bigger repercussions.

I've asked Leavitt directly about Ponton -- weeks before the possibility of a suspension showed up on this board -- and I asked him again Monday. Both times, he's specifically said no when asked if there was a suspension awaiting him at the start of the season. He's hardly the only person I've talked to about this. I've heard a lot of things from a lot of places, but nothing that makes me confident enough to report something. Leavitt said Monday that Ponton going to get work at fullback because he isn't keeping up with the competition as a primary running back. Freshman Keeley Dorsey now looks like the top backup.

Not sure where you're coming from on some of the comments. One week, you guys are complaining because the media is too negative, and now, we're hiding stories because we fear a coach's reaction, or because we only write good things about the team. It just gets confusing, to where I can't remember which stereotype I'm supposed to be trying to follow ...

Don't forget greg, if a poster is wrong, or posts defaming, or erroneous information about a young man, despite how harmful it could be to that player's, or the coaches reputation they can just fall back on their anonymous and sometimes ignorant handles.  Clearly whatever it is the situation is nothing so outlandish that the coaches can't decide on a myriad of different ways to punish.  Maybe these three have been on their best behavior since, and the staff has decided that demotion on the depth chart to scout team, extra running, and monitoring is sufficient and no suspensions are necessary.

The point is this is a young man's life.  Coaches have it in their hands and Leavitt is choosing how to handle the disciplining.  Some internet folks think they've got a sense of entitlement with regard to information just because they post on these boards.   Man, Sheriff knows how easy it is to get in Leavitt's dog house sometimes it has no business in the public.

if leavitt would explain the situation people would stop speculating.

forget the internet,why is tt and st pete times all over this story.the public has a right to know why starters arent playing.now whether particualr details would invade a players privacy is another issue.

is it true chambers,ponton and JJ will miss first  two games?

[Minotaur]

not to be a **** but....perhaps you would like to share all the circumstances on why a certain trophy wasn't purchased and what has happened to the money.

Why change now?

A, its been well documented and I believe e-mail to you personally. If you like I will break it down for you here in the public eye. I collected money for a C-USA trophy that was to be presented to the team for going 4-0 in C-USA in the year they were excluded due to a certain "quality not quantity" controversy. It was around $600 I believe. I ordered a trophy and paid upfront for a trophy that 3 weeks later I was told was out of stock. I paid with a check from my personal account and the money was refunded to my account. The problem then was that I was flat ass, even less money than college students broke. I was in the process of closing my business and losing my house to forclosure and my account was in the negative and unfortunately fees ate up most of the funds. 100% my fault.

I was short on the funds and could not make up the difference. It was after the football banquet so there was no immediate hurry so I stalled for a bit. I lost my house I was jobless and homeless and was attacked (rightly so) on this board and through e-mail so I dropped out of sight until I could make it right. I tried to make it right by giving the money to Bulliever to disperse as he saw fit. I also gave him the names and amounts of those that gave, having kept them. He IM'd everyone and as far as I know everyone donated those funds to the site.

So: A. Got funds. B. Lost funds. C. Homeless/Jobless D. Returned funds.

If you have a problem with that then let me know. If you are going to use this everytime you get a hair up your ass then that fine too. I suggest you save this post and refer to it and/or share it with anyone you choose because I will not be writing it again. hell buy an ad and publish in the Times if you choose. Feel better?

Now as far as everything else is concerned:

I know what the burden of proof in journalism is all about and I am not looking for rumors in print. If you work at the Times ask Tom Pierce who was my journalism professor for two years or  see Jay Black at the USF St Petersburg ethics department. I have sat and discused media ethics with news directors and professors and I felt quite comfortable in those discussions. You will never hear me say that the press is too negative, there are plenty of folks around here that may say something like that but I will never be one of them.

I was reacting to the assertion that news should be released on the coaches timetable. It seems like some very good people feel like they should have access to the inside news and others are not worthy. As far as I am concerened there are two types of information classifications coaches and players only, and everyone else. Suspensions are newsworthy and in the everybody else category. There are not superfans, insiders or big donors that are entittled to secret decoder rings who should be stiffling information or even rumors for that matter.

I was hung over and irritable when I wrote a couple post this morning, but now I am sober and pissed. Good day.

[CyberBull]

Way too much information....my point was that confidential information is not news, especially when there is nothing concrete to go on. "Rumors from a good source" are not enough for us to start taking shots at these kids. I trust our administration enough that if they did something wrong we would know. However by speculating it gives the program a black eye and makes us look like a bunch of tabloid reading yahoos always looking around for a good scandal and assuming the worst.

Bottom-line for me that none of us know jack-**** of who did what. Without real evidence I think it is irresponsible for people to assume that player x or player y did something wrong.  

Oh btw...this is the first I have heard of your situation. Tough break...