Branden Lombardi Staff Writer

Responsibility? What's that?

Responsibility? Not quite yet

Responsibility? What's that?

I don't want to think about it; we'd be better off without it

Often times I find myself humming the chorus above, from the tune "Responsibility" by MXPX.

These days I guess I must not be the only one.

Heading into his senior season as the top wide receiver on the Wildcat football team, Andrae Thurman must have found himself taking these words to heart.

It was learned last week that after spending the summer in class trying to regain his eligibility, Thurman will not be able to play during the upcoming UA football season due to his poor academic standing.

While it is truly unfortunate that Thurman, who was poised for a breakout year, is not able to play, there is only one person to blame for his current situation: Himself.

The popular perception of student-athletes competing in the top two collegiate sports of football and basketball is that they are much more athlete than student, using their time in college to sharpen their skills so that they may move on to the NFL and NBA, where their athletic skills ÷ not academic skills ÷ will earn them a living.

However, that is only true for a small percentage of athletes across the nation as many of them take advantage of their free educations to earn degrees that are as important to them as they are to you and me.

You may be thinking, "How did the athletics department let one of its top players fail like this?" The answer to that question is simple. The players know what they need to be doing as student-athletes to maintain their eligibility. It isn't the job of the athletics department to make sure players attend class and study for their exams.

"I think that it is pretty common knowledge that if you don't follow the guidelines, you don't meet the criteria, you don't get to play," said Bill Morgan, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance.

"(Academic eligibility) is explained by the coaches when they are being recruited, and they are reminded of it by me when I meet with the teams at the beginning of the season. We are constantly reminding them that they need to be taking care of business. (Academics) shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. That is why they are here."

Head Coach John Mackovic made it clear that while the team will miss Thurman, the only person keeping Thurman off the playing field was Thurman himself.

"Andrae is a good receiver who has had some great catches over the last few years, so we definitely will miss someone like that, but everyone has the responsibility to take care of his own eligibility," Mackovic said.

Here at the UA, athletes participate in a program called CATS: Commitment to an Athlete's Total Success. The program provides advising, tutors and other services for the student-athletes, all located in the McKale Center. The only difference between the help available to student-athletes and the general student population is the location of the help.

This is where this story gets difficult. Thurman, undoubtedly even right here, is receiving criticism because he is a student-athlete that failed to uphold his responsibility to the UA, the football program, his teammates and the Wildcat fans.

However, Thurman is not the only student on this campus dealing with academic ineligibility. The freshman retention rate hovers around 80 percent, and we never know how many of that 20 percent don't return due to issues with their academics. Does Joe Arizona get criticized because he couldn't hang on in college? No, but he doesn't have the same level of responsibility as Thurman. Thurman was brought here and given a free education, so his level of responsibility should be even higher.

Is it fair to single out Thurman like this? No, but as an athlete on a campus such as the UA, he is open to criticism for his shortcomings. As a writer, I would be much more inclined to do so if I was analyzing his playmaking ability as the football team prepares to face UTEP this weekend, but Thurman may have been humming the wrong tune, and it finally caught up with him.

Responsibility? What's that?

Responsibility? Not quite yet

Responsibility? What's that?

I don't want to think about it; we'd be better off without it

In this case, it seems like we would be better off with it ·