Tulane football goes on!!

[saraphen]

New Orleans based Tulane University is shut down. Students have been given transfer options to other universities. www.tulane.edu

But football goes on.

There apparently was some backlash last weekend after school President Scott Cowen, following Hurricane Katrina, announced that the games would go on even though the New Orleans-based campus is closed, parts of the city are submerged and players are living out of suitcases in Dallas.

Tulane Coach Chris Scelfo said he received hate mail to the effect that he was "an inhumane person for even talking about football or playing football."

Well, here is an alternative view: Players and coaches orphaned by Katrina are playing this year because they need to.

"It's not about football with these kids, it's about mental health," Scelfo said.

Coaches and their families too have been uprooted, not knowing whether they have homes to return to.

"That's all we have right now, is football," Scelfo said. "We lost everything else."

So Tulane will open Sept. 17 at Mississippi State — and see where it goes from there.

The Tulane football family has been taken in by Southern Methodist University and has been practicing at Jesuit College Prep School. It was announced this week that the football team would soon relocate from Dallas to Louisiana Tech.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/colleg...rts-coll_footb

I don't understand their priorities. Can somebody make sense out of this?

[bluesky]

Originally Posted by saraphen

[b] There apparently was some backlash last weekend after school President Scott Cowen, following Hurricane Katrina, announced that the games would go on even though the[New Orleans-based campus is closed, parts of the city are submerged and players are living out of suitcases in Dallas. Coaches and their families too have been uprooted, not knowing whether they have homes to return to. "That's all we have right now, is football," Scelfo said. "We lost everything else."[/B]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/colleg...rts-coll_footb

I don't understand their priorities. Can somebody make sense out of this?

I read the article and picked out somethings that stood out to me so for me I guess it's no different than enrolling and sending the smaller children to Texas schools. Kids need the socialization and other hobbies to take their mind off what has happened to them. True, they will never forget but they need to be allowed to be kids--to socialize and be interactive with other kids.

Maybe it is for mental health for the players. Plus, they are able to sleep in hotel rooms and get hot meals where as they would be in the Astrodome only to stress and worry about "what's next" Maybe the players decided they needed an "escape", breathe of fresh air from this horrible situation or that their isn't anything they can do so the game must go on.

[saraphen]

I hear ya, Bluesky. But other Tulane students (non- football players) are scrambling to get temporary admission to other colleges, so they can continue their education in spite of the closing of Tulane. Some have come here to North Carolina, and are already enrolled at Duke, and UNC...not living at the Astrodome.