I just wish he'd say "sorry."
It's great that Baylor's hired a top law firm (and two very good, experienced lawyers) to investigate how the university handled the tragedy that I'm going to refer to as The Event, as I am tired of typing it out. It's great that students still feel safe and comfortable on Baylor's verdant campus, and it's great that the football team has moved on and is ready to play their first game.
There's just the little fact that a control-F of the two press releases on The Event (both conveniently buried at the bottom of Baylor's homepage, past the fluff about move-in and summer activities) reveals no "sorry" and no "apologize/apology."
Oh, I know. The hope is that the aforementioned investigation clears the university of all wrong-doing, and there's hope that there won't be a civil suit, and I get all of that but how can you not see that someone did something wrong, and therefore an apology is demanded. Not only to the victim, but to the alumni base who has stood by this university in times of trial before.
Stand up and say you're sorry.
We require it of our toddlers - say sorry! And mean it! We preach on it in chapel - the true meaning of Christianity is forgiveness, and humility. We require it of students who feud with their roommates! Why, now, is it so impossible for you to stand up and say it?
We're sorry.
We're sorry that such a deed happened in our hallowed halls, on our beloved campus. We're sorry that our inaction hurt not only someone who should have been protected above all else, but that it hurt the thousands of alumni that we love to ask for money. We're sorry that even if we had no idea that we were bringing this onto our campus, we did not react in a way to the crime that would leave us without the need to say "sorry."
We're sorry that this former student-athlete fell through the cracks of personal responsibility. We're sorry that we somehow overlooked something, somewhere. Mainly, we're sorry that we failed - because we did fail, and we need to not fail again.
Just say it. I promise no one will think the lesser of you for it.
