Eh we’ll see. I think even if he’s hampered he’d be way better than Giddens. I just looked at Giddens’ record last year and not to be a d!ck but nothing on there is remotely impressive.
Them being willing to take on all the Belichick nonsense but not AJ should tell us all we need to know about him
It is probably not a great idea that he returns to the state?
He is a significant liability for sure. Hopefully, he's got somebody in his corner that has his full ear that is good human.
Guess it depends on the risk tolerance that coaches and admins have. He might come in, keep his nose clean, win a title or two, and help elevate a room. Alternatively, he could reoffend and set your program/school up for a massive lawsuit for knowingly bringing him in.
Koll isn't dumb, so I would bet he finishes his eligibility in the right form just based on Koll.
We have seen plenty of wrestlers get into trouble and were allowed to come back from it. The guy had a quiet season last year, and when I say quiet I mean he did not get into any trouble. Hopefully he does make the right decisions going forward. And if he does, whoever gets him will have a good wrestler on their team.
To be quite honest, I think it's pretty shitty that UNC was allowed to wait this long to deny/reconsider his admission.
There’s much more to the AJ story than one brush with trouble.
As there is with many other wrestlers that were allowed to stay with a team. Gable Steveson is the first that comes to mind. Jordan Williams, multiple times and now on his third team. Chance Marsteller. How about the entire thing with Alex Meade, Blake Rosholt, Jon Morrison, Chris Perry, Alex Munoz years ago? Common theme for OK State wrestlers huh? With DT running things now, I don't think it happens much anymore at OK State.
I agree that if he has changed, I'd like to see him Wrestle. I think he needs it more than people realize.
Man I don’t like talking bad about people but dude is way out there. Raising his opponents hand that he beat after a match was completely disrespectful. He had insane interviews at NCAAs. Heckled refs. Like… I dunno. Dude is just SO MUCH lol
I think he meant it as a sign of respect the way a lot of UFC fighters do when they have battles against a tough opponent .. I agree he is a lot though. He heckled refs?
This ain't UFC though. Never seen that done in D1, international, youth, etc. He also helped the guy up after the match when the guy didn't need help. And yeah he argued with refs at NCAAs, I don't know over what, I just saw the body language during two of his matches.
I feel like people are searching for things like the ones just mentioned so that they can keep the bad opinion they have of him. Helping someone up when they did not need it, body language towards the refs, and raising someone else's hand up after they lost, PETTY.
Look, I know you like to defend him. But I am telling you, the fact that there weren't MANY, MANY other issues brought to light is perplexing. While he was here, he exemplified off the mat behavior that fit many psychological issues that are subjects of study and research. I won't go into detail, because I do know some like to embellish and it may be inaccurate.
People are also searching for reasons to explain away his bad behavior. I try to be a pretty neutral observer on it, nothing to gain by villainizing the guy on a message board you know? I've been pulling for him to turn it around since his car accident, he'll always be a former Poke which is why I paid any attention to his interviews and matches this last season... Announcing his commitment to UNC before he was admitted is just the latest head-scratcher.
You're probably thinking of the locked hands call in his match against Buchanan. Pretty understandable to want that reviewed. It was a pivotal moment in the national semifinals and really was the difference-maker in the match.
