No sympathy for stupidity

Man, if there's one thing that just gets to me, it has got to be stupid people. Those people who just don't have common sense and don't fess up to their responsibilities. Common sense can get you far in life, or leave you stifled if you lack it.

Over the summer, I learned of a former Buffalo athlete who rates up their with the best of the best when it comes to failing to recognize personal responsibilities: Mike Radon, former backup quarterback for the UB football team during the 2002 season.

Poor little baby didn't get enough playing time as second fiddle to Randall Secky and decided to leave the university for bigger and better things after spring training in 2003. Yes, a scholarship athlete gave up a free ride to a highly regarded state university because he felt like he wasn't getting enough attention. Boo-hoo.

Well, "genius" Radon decided to ignore the fact that he needed to drop his courses for the fall of 2003 and now, two years later, is adamantly fighting the bill for it.

To begin with, according to the Buffalo News, he had his hand held as he registered for the courses and he claims he was never told that he needed to withdraw from the classes. Let me break out my violin now.

It's not like the university sends out one mailing to every student for the upcoming semester. Throughout the summer, my mailbox tends to get inundated with letters with the pretty little UB logo in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. Did the Radon family just decide to ignore those attempts at communication with them? Had Mike's parents, Felix and Michele Radon, opened one of those letters and realized that their star football player was still enrolled in classes, there wouldn't be story to report on.

The Radon family showed no initiative to ensure that Mike was completely unattached to the university. They merely sat back and watched as he left his Hamburg home for Missouri.

The whole Radon family dropped the ball on this one. Rumor has it that they even tried to get some of their friends in the local sports community to use their muscle and convince UB to drop the bill.

That is outlandish.

The Radons need to just give up and pay the bill. Their son was a greedy athlete, the antithesis of a team player, and there is no reason the university should drop the charges or be intimidated to do so.

I'm not sure about Radon, but when I entered the collegiate world, I understood that my decisions and actions were my responsibility. It's a part of growing up and becoming an adult. What is Radon going to do in 15 years when he ends up forgetting to make a mortgage payment? Are mommy, daddy, their friends, and some big bad lawyers going to fight that too because he wasn't clearly told he had to make the payment? Puh-lease.

UB has rules and procedures in place that all students must follow, even those who are on athletic scholarship. The Department of Athletics even goes a step further and provides student-athletes with an online handbook, outlining the rules put forth by the NCAA and the university. Part of the summary of NCAA policies under the heading "Transfer Regulations" states "Before considering a transfer, please visit the Office of Compliance in Room 166 Alumni, in order to familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations surrounding your individual transfer situation."

In all fairness, this portion was taken from the 2005-2006 handbook. There is a possibility it was not in the handbook that Radon was told to review. While the handbook may have changed, the main point of it all doesn't change: it was Radon's job to review and understand the rules, not anyone else's.

Radon, welcome to the world of responsibility. For you, it comes with a price tag of over $3,000. Congrats.

Oh and p.s. - Radon has played in six games since leaving UB, redshirting during the 2004 season. He's actually not even at quarterback any more. Missouri State University has now moved him to free safety for the 2005 season. I guess his plan to be a Division I starting quarterback really worked out well for him.