Should the Bills do splainin re: draftin Butler?

[Pyrite Gal]

Why would anyone owe anyone an explanation?  This thing was beat to death in Virginia as Tech fans went round and round with Virginia fans on talk radio.  Butler was scrutinized by everyone and was punished by UVA.  Before the incident, Butler was about as model of a student that there was.  He was a great kid, never got in trouble, and I believe was a great student if I remember correctly.  Butler was the team spokesman at many charity events as well as community service.  When he was suspended, he admitted he did it out of frustration, apologized to the player he cut, and said he embarassed himself. 

 

Butler admitted he made a mistake.  He also was locked in a heated battle all day with the kid he chopped.  It was a retaliation in which he was the one caught.  He was embarassed, everyone has moved on, and really, it should be no concern of anyone.  It was taken care of already.

 

If he does something like it again, then maybe you look back.  Anyone else who plans to exploit the situation is reaching and is just looking to stir the pot.

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Again as I said in my original post I do not thin Butler owes anyone an explanation because he already has apologized and been punished for the cheap shot.

 

There is a great link provided above that has an article where any number of people talk about his generally high character and that these three seconds were an aberration in his life.

 

The answer to your question as to why would anyone think qant an explanation is actually though Butler has dealt with this episode, the Bills would br smart IMHO to be aggressive in telling the story embodied in the article and about Butle's generally high character.

 

It is the Bills who actually put the player character issue into great play when the Bills announced this would be a key for them. Unless they are proactive then basically to the extent any message gets to Bills potential customers and WNYers about Butler it will simply be the video snippet of him going after the knee of an opponent after the play was over.

 

Butler owes no explanation it would be prudent for the Bills to do so though since they have put the character issue generally into play.

[ax4782]

First off, we beat the pants off the Maple Leafs this season without playing Philadelphia goon hockey. NO skates for Butler.

 

On a serious note, Butler plays with a bit of nastiness. So does every good OL. Villarial is a bit nasty, as are Runyan and Hutchinson. Those are the kind of OLs you need to win championships. This is not to say that Butler is going to start for years to come and help win the Super Bowl this season, but he has the sort of attitude that many successful OLs have.

 

His hit was dirty, but he was punished and there is nothing to suggest that he has done anything of the sort before or since. He overreacted. It happens when college kids play football. Let's give him a chance and see what happens.

 

Go Sabres!!!

[ChevyVanMiller]

are you talking about the team that has employed leonard smith and conrad dobler?

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Not to mention convicted murderer (vehicular manslaughter) Reggie Rogers.

[obie_wan]

Thanks for the great link to a good summary of Butler's like prior to and just after the "incident."  As I said in my original post. I think the case is closed for Butler the UVA player and he simply owes noexplanation.

 

However, I think what the Bills "owe" or at the very least should want to make a proactive case and tell their customers is thaat when they announced that an empasis for this team is to draft high character guys that there are testimonials to Butler like the ones in this link that show it was a episodic error that he has been punished for and he owes no other explanation unless another episode occurs.

 

If the Bills are not pro-active in getting out the word like the ones in your link, then those who know anything about Butler will simply remember the cheap shot.

 

I hope the Bills are lining up the press hit whe camp starts that does a full jpb of introducing Butler as a Bill.

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yeah- Marv should explain to the fans that he is drafting "football players" that will bring a championship to Buffalo.

 

You make it sound like he robbed a bank and killed all of the hostages.

[ROSCOE P. COE TRAIN]

No big deal hitting a guy in the family jewels while in the trenches IMO. live by the sword - die by the sword.

 

 

 

In general, I would say NO, Butler does not owe anybody an explanation over the low blow he delivered in a game to a fellow player.

 

He sinned, he was punished (unfortunately the ref did not see it so he was not tossed from the game as he should have been, but UVA stepped up to the plate and suspended him  for not representing the school in a sportsmanlike manner) and unless some other officiial sanction is merited by the NCAA it strikes me as the end of the story as far as any explanation from Butler.  (Though if he does something unsportmanslike again I think this would be a second transgression and should be dealt with more harshly than a first offense by this individual).

 

However, though I think Butler owes the sports work little, I actually think it would be good business for the Bills to pro-actively say something about Butler's hit which was clearly caught on video by the camera and has been reposted in a couple of TSW threads.

 

The Bills braintrust set the standard for how their customers should view this team by repeatedly saying they would be picking only high character guys.

 

Make whatever excuses you want for Butler's act, but I do not think anyone is saying that tackle of an opponent at his knees after the play was done was a high-character move.  Though Butler was punished for this act with a suspension and given our forgining society and afterall this is only a game (a fact which Butler seemed to have forgot for a moment) it strikes me he should be forgiven and do not let this happen again.

 

However, it was the Bills themselves that set the standard for high character.  Given that they chose a player who may well be a good player for us but he clearly performed a low character action, I think the Bills should provide the fanbase with some explanation of their thinking.

 

They can easily ignore this if they want and will not come back to bite them unless there is some second potential act on Butler's part.  Hpwever, it strikes me as both the right thing to do (given they set the standard as part of a presentation to their customers) and actually the smart thing to do for business purposes to say something about this.

 

My guess is that if the Bills say they were aware of this, considered this, and talked to this fine young man (using Butler-speak) and felt assured ths was a one time incident inspired by the heat of a football game which they believe will never happen again, I think they get ahead of any potential stories.

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[BUFFALOTONE]

Thanks for the great link to a good summary of Butler's like prior to and just after the "incident."  As I said in my original post. I think the case is closed for Butler the UVA player and he simply owes noexplanation.

 

However, I think what the Bills "owe" or at the very least should want to make a proactive case and tell their customers is thaat when they announced that an empasis for this team is to draft high character guys that there are testimonials to Butler like the ones in this link that show it was a episodic error that he has been punished for and he owes no other explanation unless another episode occurs.

 

If the Bills are not pro-active in getting out the word like the ones in your link, then those who know anything about Butler will simply remember the cheap shot.

 

I hope the Bills are lining up the press hit whe camp starts that does a full jpb of introducing Butler as a Bill.

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You are off base here. There is absolutely no need for the brass to address this any longer. Does Brian Billick talk about Ray Lewis' murder trial? Do coaches sit and harp on how and why a player gets arrested for smacking his wife around or getting caught with drugs.

 

The only way this should be brought up is if a dumba-- reporter asks Marv a stupid question regarding it. Do you remember when a reporter asked Marv about Bruce Smiths supposed drug use? He went ape on that guy. Marv is a character guy and that is why he drafts high character people. This kid made a mistake that he owned up to, its not the first time this has happened and it wont be the last. His positives out way his one 3 second negative. Besides we need a no bull---- kind of guy on the line.

[Pyrite Gal]

You are off base here. There is absolutely no need for the brass to address this any longer. Does Brian Billick talk about Ray Lewis' murder trial? Do coaches sit and harp on how and why a player gets arrested for smacking his wife around or getting caught with drugs.

 

The only way this should be brought up is if a dumba-- reporter asks Marv a stupid question regarding it. Do you remember when a reporter asked Marv about Bruce Smiths supposed drug use? He went ape on that  guy. Marv is a character guy and that is why he drafts high character people. This kid made a mistake that he owned up to, its not the first time this has happened and it wont be the last. His positives out way his one 3 second negative. Besides we need a no bull---- kind of guy on the line.

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While Butler owes NO additional explanation because he has already been punished and apologized and has a clear record of past high character, the Bills would be well served I believe by being pro-active in explaining all these facts and how they coincide with their announced intent to focus on drafting high quality guys.

 

You may know of Butler's past good history and I may know of Butler's past good history, but you and I and the most of the rest of us crazy TSW folks are not like normal folks. Normal folks love their Bills but do not share your and my psychotic allegiance to TSW.

 

Butler as a person and the Bills as a business are two different things (do you disagree?). The bills set a standard for themselves and their business by announcing that the team was going to focus on getting players of the highest character.

 

While we are learning the details of Butler's past life and actions that has made us comfortable that the pick of Butler was consistent with the Bills statement of character.

 

Normal folks to the extent they care may well only hear that he was suspended for a past transgression where he went after the knees of a fellow player after a play was over or see the short videotape on the news of him doing this without any context provided.

My point was not that Butler owes anybody anything since he has been punished and apologize, my point was that it is merely sound business practice for the Bills to state how their action of drafting Butler fits their previous commitment to high character.

 

Do you disagree that the presentation of the videotape without context (the US media is big on the dramatic and often forgets context as this is how they make their nickels) or the presentation of only the simple fact that the ills drafted a player who was once suspended for a low character act without taking the time to present the fuller story is bad business and unfortunately happens all too often in this world of folks looking to make a splash rather than take the time to talk the facts?