http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12782255/can-dorial-green-beckham-trusted
Here's the section of the article about his decision to go to OU and his decision to go to the NFL:
GREEN-BECKHAM FINISHED his spring semester at Missouri in May, then started sifting through more than 35 scholarship offers. But no school stood much of a chance of beating out Oklahoma, which had been his second choice in his senior year of high school.
Dorial and the Beckhams recalled how Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and then-receivers coach Jay Norvell had called to wish him luck even after he'd chosen Missouri. "They were the only ones who did that," Dorial said.
Stoops' decision to welcome Green-Beckham into his program came with its share of detractors, most notably U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill. "It is time for real leaders in the world of big-time sports to do a soul search on character," McCaskill wrote in an op-ed for USA Today. Local columnists were also skeptical of giving Green-Beckham, such a high-profile screw-up, a second chance in a program already under investigation for a Title IX sexual misconduct allegation.
Stoops was undeterred by the criticism. "I thought Dorial was very respectful and a person who handled himself well through the recruiting process," the coach said. "There's times when you feel people deserved a second chance to improve their lives and opportunities. I believe in helping young people to grow."
Green-Beckham started workouts with the Sooners in early July, hopeful the NCAA would approve a waiver that would allow him to play that fall. He worked with the starters from the first day, trying to learn the offense and develop chemistry with his new teammates.
It wasn't until a week before Oklahoma's season opener against Louisiana Tech that the NCAA announced that it had denied his request for immediate eligibility. Just like that, he went from working with starters to the scout team. He'd be spending game days on the sideline for the first time in his football career.
"I'm not gonna cry in front of these guys," Dorial said he thought to himself. "I just need to get my mind right." Green-Beckham wanted to be part of the team, even if he couldn't play. He went out to practice. "Instead of being a normal scout team player," he says, "I was going to make myself better."
With no outlet for his game-day fire, Green-Beckham saved his intensity for practices and the 5:30 a.m. workouts usually reserved for freshmen and scout teamers. He even managed to turn Jerry Schmidt, the Sooners' strength coach since 1999 and a notorious grump, from a skeptic to a believer.
"Going into it, I thought it was going to be a problem," Schmidt said. "But he didn't miss a day and he led all of our younger guys and showed them how to work. Here's a guy who's supposed to be playing in SEC at a high level, and now he's not playing on Saturday, and still working like that. You've got to give him some credit for that."
Green-Beckham went on to be named scout team player of the week six times, turning practices into his own personal challenge against the No. 1 defense.
"I told them, practice is my game," he says. "This is my Saturday."
He'd got through the season healthy, thanks to sitting out a season. He also took note of University of Georgia tailback Todd Gurley, a projected top-10 draft pick before knee injury ended his season. But most importantly, his longtime girlfriend had told him she was pregnant and due in July.
He could finally play for Oklahoma, but he'd have to struggle to provide for his family and risk his pro career. Nor would waiting a year make those questions about what happened in Missouri go away. In the end, it wasn't much of a decision.
He called Stoops, who'd risked some of his reputation to take a chance on Dorial, to deliver the news.
"There was like a three-second pause ... it was crickets," Green-Beckham says. "But Coach told me he respected my decision and he was going to support me. I was like, this isn't really that bad of a talk."
Said Stoops: "I made sure when I spoke to him that I let him know that he didn't owe me anything. I want him to improve his situation."
But while Green-Beckham was staying out of trouble and preparing to go pro, the NFL was undergoing one of its worst public relations crisis in recent memory, responding to Rice, Hardy and Peterson and the league's perceived bungling of their cases. Dorial would be entering a new league. One where he has to prove he's as good at avoiding the police blotter as he is at avoiding press coverage.
Here's the section of the article about his decision to go to OU and his decision to go to the NFL:
GREEN-BECKHAM FINISHED his spring semester at Missouri in May, then started sifting through more than 35 scholarship offers. But no school stood much of a chance of beating out Oklahoma, which had been his second choice in his senior year of high school.
Dorial and the Beckhams recalled how Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and then-receivers coach Jay Norvell had called to wish him luck even after he'd chosen Missouri. "They were the only ones who did that," Dorial said.
Stoops' decision to welcome Green-Beckham into his program came with its share of detractors, most notably U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill. "It is time for real leaders in the world of big-time sports to do a soul search on character," McCaskill wrote in an op-ed for USA Today. Local columnists were also skeptical of giving Green-Beckham, such a high-profile screw-up, a second chance in a program already under investigation for a Title IX sexual misconduct allegation.
Stoops was undeterred by the criticism. "I thought Dorial was very respectful and a person who handled himself well through the recruiting process," the coach said. "There's times when you feel people deserved a second chance to improve their lives and opportunities. I believe in helping young people to grow."
Green-Beckham started workouts with the Sooners in early July, hopeful the NCAA would approve a waiver that would allow him to play that fall. He worked with the starters from the first day, trying to learn the offense and develop chemistry with his new teammates.
It wasn't until a week before Oklahoma's season opener against Louisiana Tech that the NCAA announced that it had denied his request for immediate eligibility. Just like that, he went from working with starters to the scout team. He'd be spending game days on the sideline for the first time in his football career.
"I'm not gonna cry in front of these guys," Dorial said he thought to himself. "I just need to get my mind right." Green-Beckham wanted to be part of the team, even if he couldn't play. He went out to practice. "Instead of being a normal scout team player," he says, "I was going to make myself better."
With no outlet for his game-day fire, Green-Beckham saved his intensity for practices and the 5:30 a.m. workouts usually reserved for freshmen and scout teamers. He even managed to turn Jerry Schmidt, the Sooners' strength coach since 1999 and a notorious grump, from a skeptic to a believer.
"Going into it, I thought it was going to be a problem," Schmidt said. "But he didn't miss a day and he led all of our younger guys and showed them how to work. Here's a guy who's supposed to be playing in SEC at a high level, and now he's not playing on Saturday, and still working like that. You've got to give him some credit for that."
Green-Beckham went on to be named scout team player of the week six times, turning practices into his own personal challenge against the No. 1 defense.
"I told them, practice is my game," he says. "This is my Saturday."
He'd got through the season healthy, thanks to sitting out a season. He also took note of University of Georgia tailback Todd Gurley, a projected top-10 draft pick before knee injury ended his season. But most importantly, his longtime girlfriend had told him she was pregnant and due in July.
He could finally play for Oklahoma, but he'd have to struggle to provide for his family and risk his pro career. Nor would waiting a year make those questions about what happened in Missouri go away. In the end, it wasn't much of a decision.
He called Stoops, who'd risked some of his reputation to take a chance on Dorial, to deliver the news.
"There was like a three-second pause ... it was crickets," Green-Beckham says. "But Coach told me he respected my decision and he was going to support me. I was like, this isn't really that bad of a talk."
Said Stoops: "I made sure when I spoke to him that I let him know that he didn't owe me anything. I want him to improve his situation."
But while Green-Beckham was staying out of trouble and preparing to go pro, the NFL was undergoing one of its worst public relations crisis in recent memory, responding to Rice, Hardy and Peterson and the league's perceived bungling of their cases. Dorial would be entering a new league. One where he has to prove he's as good at avoiding the police blotter as he is at avoiding press coverage.
