It’s definitely a tough call, and there is no clear right or wrong “answer” to it. While I’m betting there are plenty of media establishments trying to water the situation down into a simplistic black-and-white issue, it certainly is anything but.

It’s tough because we can never truly know what is in a person’s head, what their motivations are, and can only take them at their word. But sometimes that’s not so easy when we know other things too, such as that the survivor of the assault might be publicly “forgiving” him as a way to get attention off of her and avoid being put through the media (and general public) wringer than rape survivors are put through nine times out of ten. I can’t say I could blame her for just wanting to make it go away and not having to put up with strangers who feel entitled to scrutinize every little detail (that they know about) of what must have been one of the most horrific moments of her life.

I think the one thing that is certain is that the justice system screwed up in terms of not keeping the records closed; BUT, just because they screwed up, that does not preclude adjusting one’s assessment of Hood based on the information we have due to said screw-up.

Oh and on a personal note, as for people giving you a second chance? They definitely did, and you’re definitely fortunate in that regard; but there are levels and gradations. You didn’t do something that will stick in someone’s psyche for the rest of their life in the way Hood did.

I know this might mean nothing but my feelings about this have nothing to do with which sport team i pull for…this guys…is real life..

I cant believe this..shocked actually…

13 years old…If you can do something like this at 13, just think what he can do now?!?!!? Like others have said, this isn’t shop lifting or smoking. This is rape..This is a crime that is totally psychological… IMO the juvenile rule doesn’t apply here.

Now, Im a staunch Christian, in fact im a youth pastor and I certainly believe in forgiveness. The fact that this kid isn’t locked away in a insane asylum or worse, shows me that forgiveness has been given. But just because you are "forgiven" doesn’t mean you can go about your business as usual. There are consequences to actions and to me, allowing this kid to go to college and play football ON SCHOLARSHIP isn’t punishing him. Correct me if Im wrong but aren’t you ineligible for college admission if you are convicted of a felony in HS?Honestly though, Im not sure what the legal process was and I really don’t care. This is a sick person.

This is greater than a heinous crime. To me, rapist are the scum of the earth…lower than the dirt, that’s stuck to dung, which is stuck to the bottom of my shoe. Call it the father of a young girl in me but I say castrate him…in public…kidnap…Duct tape over 70% of her body…a foreign object used in the rape…it was his relative…Again this goes MUCH deeper than whats on the surface…This kid has major problems…

You can have him UT, he should fit in well and I hope to God he doesn’t do this to some girl while he is there…

Kiffin..i have lost the last bit of respect that i never had for you…

good day sir!

Look, the actions he took part in, whether directly or indirectly, are deplorable. Theres no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I agree, that it is an awful crime to take part of in any way. I DO NOT CONDONE HIS ACTIONS, but request that we look at this situation LOGICALLY.

But you are advocating that the kid be kept out of college because of a crime he committed – a felony – that he be denied a higher education? If you truly want to stop crimes of these natures from ever happening again, the solution is not to prevent someone from gaining an education. IN FACT, doing just that only severely limits his chances in life and quite possibly relegating him or other people in similar situations to turn to crime and become disenfranchised with the system. Who does that help? Education is key. Its the key to just about everything in life. Success, morality, ethics, ability, what have you. It doesn’t help him, it doesn’t help the victim, and it doesn’t help society. (and just so you know, there is no law whatsoever about felons attending college or receiving scholarships)

Furthermore, what does his participating in sports have to do with his past? If anything, it can help keep kids out of trouble. This, of course, is not always the case (I mean theres a reason theres a Fulmer cup), but it gives outlets. It gives options, and it can keep kids off the streets. He has proven himself a capable athlete, a good student, and has thus earned himself some reward for those actions, not an action that took place prior to his high school career. There is nothing that says a felon cannot have a higher education, nor a scholarship. He has proven himself a capable athlete, and a good student.

Finally, what do you know about this kid and his mental stability? You have not given him a psychological evaluation. You do not know what he does outside of school in the 4-5 years since this incident. You have made a judgment on his character based on incomplete evidence.

He has proven himself in the classroom, and as far as we know by what is in the public sphere, he has not been a part of any other criminal activities. He has shown some level of maturity and introspection towards the crime, something that admittedly, he did not show after the crime. But a lot can change a person, and 4 years of high school are important, character-building years that can bring a lot of change in a person. I think this quote shows you where his head is:

"I had a good friend tell me I should go as far west as possible, [b]ut I don’t think that it’s a situation that I should try to avoid. It was heinous. It was awful. Any bad thing you could say about it would probably fit it.

"But I think it’s not trying to put it in a corner and forget it ever happened. I think you have to take it and learn from it and grow from it. … I’ve got a debt to (the victim) that I can never repay, just trying to throw it away like it never happened would be the worst thing I could do for her."

I am not saying he is redeemed, rehabilitated, or anything beyond that he does show remorse and some understanding of the impact of his actions, and the choices he has already made, and how they will affect his future choices.

What happened was despicable, and he has to live with it the rest of his life. He knows this, and it affects every choice he will make from then and until he dies. But denying him an education, an outlet, the ability to grow and prove that he is a better person, that he has learned his lesson, is helping no one.

So go ahead, be the first to throw that stone.

Your prime examples are Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, Maurice Clarett, et al. If you have talent, it doesn’t matter what you have done, someone will try to make money off of you.

Reading the court papers for this case makes you sick. For his sake, I hope he is not the same person who committed that horrible crime.

I don’t blame UT for signing him, because if they didn’t somone else would have.

He was spot on in his column. He’s not against second chances. He doesn’t have a problem with Daniel Hood. He is simply saying that if Tennessee wants to improve it’s image it won’t happen by signing players with a past like Hood’s. I totally agree. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if Tennessee had a reputation of successfully taking in troubled kids and turning them into productive members of society. In fact, Tennessee’s reputation is just the opposite. Daniel Hood can go play somewhere else. It’s an unfortunate situation, but at this point, I don’t believe it’s in Tennessee’s best interest to take in kids with this kind of history.

I do agree with John Adams, simply because he was trying to point out that the program is trying to improve it’s image, and signing Daniel Hood doesn’t help that case all. If Hood turns out to be a model student-athlete at UT, I’m sure a ton of people will be saying “I told you so.” But how would fans react if A) Hood signed a full scholarship to play football at another SEC school or B) Hood was not an athlete, yet he was admitted to the university?

I have a feeling that the majority of UT fans would be a lot more livid about this situation, if he weren’t coming to play football for their beloved Vols. It’s a lot easier to sling manure when your school isn’t the one in question.

I’m curious to know what everyone thinks about that second question. All college applications infer about a student’s criminal background, because the university reserves the right to refuse admittance based on his/her criminal record. If Hood wasn’t a high-profile athlete, we obviously wouldn’t even be hearing about this story, but would the university even be willing to admit him?