Calling Po Monkey Lounger

[bigoak]

Can you fill us in on today's developments concerning Jerrell Powe? Who is behind all of this? I just cannot imagine that he is this determined to play at Ole Miss.

[RebelYelp]

I just cannot imagine that he is this determined to play at Ole Miss.

You would be amazed at how close he has become to Coach Orgeron and the rest of the staff. He wants to be at Ole Miss as a student and an athlete, he grew up ALOT at Hargrave, and all of this is being filed by he and his lawyers, not the school.

[bigoak]

Thanks RebelYelp for the info. I had heard through the grapevine that there were some at Ole Miss (David Wells??) that have taken the NCAA's side and do not want him there. Being from the same town as Powe, I am really pulling for this kid to make it to the NFL. Taking the NCAA to court may not be the best route.

[RebelYelp]

Can you fill us in on today's developments concerning Jerrell Powe?

basically, to sum it all up, he can be enrolled at Ole Miss, play any sports, etc and should begin practice the day of his admission (i believe today), Though he probably will not play until final ruling by the NCAA.

[RebelYelp]

bigoak,

noone at Ole Miss doesn't want him here, but they (wells and others) will not do anything to jeopardize UMAA nor the University as a whole, which is applaudable, basically, Ole Miss is bigger than just JP and Ole Miss football, and they understand that. Due to the cautiousness of the situation, he probably will not practice until a final ruling.

[Bankermane]

who be's paying the tuition?

[camlock]

who be's paying the tuition?

says in the ruling he is to receive financial aid he woulda had they not rejected him...something like that

[Po Monkey Lounger]

Powe, through his attys, filed a suit for injunctive relief in Chancery Court of Lafayette County for immediate admission to UM as a regular student on scholarship, as he was promised a scholarship and he met UM's basic admission requirements. (Keep in mind, UM had previously said he could enroll as a regular student on his own dime, but could not enroll as a student on athletic scholarship until the NCAA approved him). The Chancery Judge granted Powe temporary relief, requiring his admission on scholarship at UM immediately. The urgency behind this legal proceeding is that Sept. 1 is the last day to enroll at UM as a student. A hearing has been set for Sept. 11 to decide whether the injunctive relief shall be permanent. Ostensibly, the NCAA would participate in that hearing in the event Powe is not cleared by the NCAA before then.

Also, earlier this week, UM filed an appeal of the NCAA's decision re Powe. A ruling on the appeal is expected sometime tommorrow. The appeal is being heard by a different review committee than the one that denied Powe last week.

Bottom line: Powe can enroll before the end of the day tommorrow (Sept. 1) as a full time student on scholarship per the Court's order. Neither UM nor the NCAA can violate the court's order. IF the NCAA clears Powe tommorrow or sometime before the September 11 hearing, then the suit for the injunction is moot and Powe is good to go for the remainder of this season. In the meantime, Powe can practice with the team. Although the Court Order says he can play, I doubt that he will be allowed to play in any games until either the NCAA clears him, or the Court's Order has become final after all appeals are exhausted. UM would not want to risk having to potentially forfeit any games in the event Powe does not get cleared by the NCAA and the Chancery Court (or a higher appeals court) denies the request for the permanent injunction following the hearing on September 11.

I've said it before, this entire Powe ordeal is out of the Twilight Zone. Unbelievable. There is no legitimate basis for the NCAA's ruling denying Powe, and hopefully he will be cleared soon ending all of this mess that will be potentially very embarassing to the NCAA.

I think the NCAA will cry MEA CULPA and approve Powe very soon to end this mess.

[Bourbon]

Po Monk,

Please help me out. I have heard and read on other sites that Jerrel Powe can't read? Is this true? I know he has a learning disability, but what exactly does he have? How does a kid that can't read get through high school?

I know LSU and every other SEC school more than likely has kids that are not at the university for an education and are more lenient in admitting not so strong students for athletic reasons, but how can a kid that can't read have hopes of passing a college class? I think the school system and his mom have failed this young man in all facets. His mother was quoted as saying she didn't know he couldn't read until his senior year.

I hope for this young man's sake that he gets the chance to get into school and get some serious help and tutoring, because he needs it. Remember, he is only one injury away from not playing football and then what will he do.

Please keep in mind this post was not meant in any way to slam Jerrel Powe or Ole Miss.

[bigoak]

Bourbon,

Welcome to the south. Look at it this way. A child is born out of wedlock to a teenage mother. The father is no where to be found. So this young mother drops out of high school and gets a minimum wage job to support this child. The child stays with his grandparents during the day while his mother is working. When I was a toddler my parents and grandparents were helping me learn my letters and numbers. This childs father is not around and his mother is working and his grandparents are not capable of helping him learn his letters and numbers. His mother is busy trying to make ends meet and she does not take any time with the child to help him learn. So he turns five and starts kindegarten. The teachers quickly learn that this child has some disabilities so they stick him in special ed. He is not their problem. He stays in special ed from elementary school to high school. But guess what this child is bigger than the other children and stronger and faster. Lets see if he can play football. He can play football and he is good at it. Lets make sure he stays in school so he can play football. Meanwhile his single mother is still working at this low paying job just trying to get by. She is a high school dropout so she does not have a clue about what her son needs to be doing in school to get prepared for college. The coaches just want to win football games so they don't really care about the kids academics. So this kid just plays football and goes to his special ed classes every day not knowing what he should be doing. Everyone has been telling him that he will be ok.Finally it is his senior year and he is finished with high school football so his coaches have no use for him anymore and the teachers don't care if he plays college football or not (dumb jock). So what do we do with this kid. Turn our backs on him and let him quit school and get a minimum wage job. Then the cycle just starts over again. Or we can fight for this kid and help him make something for himself so his children do not have to go through the same hell. It is sad but there are thousands of children all over the south that go through this. We should be looking around our own communities to find children like this that need help. It is a never ending cycle that goes from one generation to the next. The children are not to blame and their parents and grandparents and great grandparents went through the same thing. School is exactly where kids like this need to be.

We tend to think in terms of the way we were brought up but not all children are brought up the same. We can either choose to help or turn our back. I choose not to judge but to try to be a difference maker. What about you?

[Deltamud77]

There are some solid posts on this thread.

I read somewhere that he had a "reader" with him when he took and passed the ACT. I assume this person reads the test to him and he provides the answer he sees fit based on what is read to him. Or maybe the person assists him with words he doesn't understand. Is that true?

For Powe and his family, I hope that things work out for him. He is obviously gifted athletically and I hope he is able to utilize those gifts to his and his family's advantage.

The previous poster is right in that there is a vicious cycle of this out there. Powe gets special attention because we can cheer for him on Saturdays in the fall. Other need just as much attention.

I believe you reap what you sew and your children reap what you sew as well. There obviously has to be accountability somewhere and it should not always have to center around the government. These parents have to be held accountable in some way, however young they may be. Until people start taking accountabilty for their own actions, this cycle will never end.

[stang67]

From Powe's mom per the CL

“Jerrell really is a good child but he just can’t read. Please give him this chance to attend Ole Miss.

If he cannot read, he has no business in an institution of higher learning -- end of story. My opinion as such goes for any school out there. How is this even an issue? How has it gotten to the point that he is trying to enroll in college if he can't read? How could he LEGITIMATELY keep grades at a point where he is elegible to play this season and the next if he can't read to begin with? OM should be embarrassed that this guy was on campus as long as he was.

Admittedly I don't know JP, and I mean no disrespect. However, I am sure that every school I have been associated with has programs to help people with learning disabilities. At the very least he should still be in HS and not worrying about college. I am far from sympathetic, though. Sad deal.

[Bourbon]

Bigoak,

Excellent post. I hope my first post expresses my sentiment. I am not judging this young man because I have never met him nor do I know what his life has been like to this point. I believe the system failed this young man and many more like him. I understand the young, single mom working but at some point you still should at least know your kid can't read. I grew up in a poor, small delta town and understand the desperate cycle as I saw it on a daily business working for my Papa in the summer. Public schools in Louisiana are mostly jokes as far as academics. My mother-in-law teaches public school here in Baton Rouge and she has repeatedly told us that if we could not afford private school, she will help because the public schools are that bad.

As I stated, I hope this kid gets in school and gets as much help as he can. From my previous post

I hope for this young man's sake that he gets the chance to get into school and get some serious help and tutoring, because he needs it. Remember, he is only one injury away from not playing football and then what will he do.

If the college he attends simply passes him through classes the same way as in high school and he, God forbid, has a career ending injury, then he will be right back in the cycle. Let's hope somebody takes this kid under their wing and gets him on the right track in the classroom. He has been blessed with tremendous athletic ability and that has given him a chance to further educate himself.

[bigoak]

From Powe's mom per the CL

“Jerrell really is a good child but he just can’t read. Please give him this chance to attend Ole Miss.

If he cannot read, he has no business in an institution of higher learning -- end of story. My opinion as such goes for any school out there. How is this even an issue?

So what is your answer? What should we do with Jerrell? If you were face to face with him and had to tell him where to go from here what would you say? What if he was blind and wanted to go to college, what would you say to him?

[stang67]

Blind??? The blind people I have known seem to work twice as hard knowing that they have a disability they must overcome with the use of other skills. Not true in this case.

Did he really EXPECT to get into college?

I believe everyone has a duty to prepare himself for life. I find it very hard to believe he has gone through life believing he could prosper without the fundamental knowledge that he obviously lacks. As a taxpayer that helps fund "the system," I refuse to accept any blame.