I realize that the lines of sports and politics will be somewhat blurred by the following post but I was so enraged by the comments I heard I felt the need to respond. A Butler County jury in Iowa found Mark Becker guilty for notoriously murdering former Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach, Ed Thomas. That Becker opened fire on Thomas in the school’s weight room isn’t in question; what was in question was Becker’s sanity. That shouldn’t even result in a debate — if you’re crazy enough to murder someone just like that, you should be locked away for life. Period. No insanity pleas. Beyond that, it was the words of Becker’s mother that bothered me the most:
“Ed Thomas was a victim of a victim. Although Mark and we as his parents attempted to go through all the proper channels to get Mark the mental health treatment he desperately needed, the system failed miserably.”
Maybe Becker never should have been excused from the mental ward after his high-speed chase before he went out to kill Thomas, but to call him a victim? Please. The victim is six feet under and the remaining victims are his family and players who are now fatherless and coachless. Way to take responsibility for your kid’s actions, Mom. I guess in your society it is the village that raises the child. Disgusting. Back to your regularly scheduled sports programming.
