Seriously?

Takais Brown was kicked off the men’s basketball team Friday for a “violation of team policies,” a mere 15 days after being suspended for missing mentoring and tutoring sessions. And he was suspended for a trio of games last season.

Once again, seriously?

We can’t all be Einsteins, but how can you be kicked off a team because you just didn’t do what you needed to do to get by? As one of the best procrastinators and all-around laziest people I know (I have two papers due in the next two days, and I’m writing this instead), I know what it’s like put things off. But seriously?

Odds are we won’t ever know exactly what the “team policy” is that Brown broke, but we can assume it had at least something to do with his recent shenanigans. There are plenty of athletes in Athens who are also incredible students (see Audrey Bowers, Rebecca Rowsey and Chris Gaunder), but no one is expecting a 4.0 and med school from any athlete.

Can’t the Athletic Association, and certainly fans and fellow students, justifiably expect at least some effort?

Head coach Dennis Felton said Friday Georgia’s leading scorer “can continue as a student here at Georgia and will remain on scholarship,” but why?

A noble gesture by the Athletic Association – wanting to continue to help a student-athlete, even when the “athlete” no longer applies, and the student part was never particularly applicable – but most likely a wasted one. If all the perks of being a NCAA athlete can’t motivate someone to sit through a meeting, why would he be expected to do so without any pluses other than a diploma?

As much as I cringe at the nauseatingly repetitive use of the term “student-athlete” by the NCAA, that’s what they are, or should be.

Georgia has one of the better academic support systems in the country, but it doesn’t mean a thing if so-called student-athletes won’t take advantage of it.

We all know the commitment to sports on a collegiate level is a big one and takes up a lot of time.

But enough to prevent you from going to a meeting? Seriously?

- Tyler Estep is the sports editor for The Red & Black