For the second year in a row, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks had a decision to make when it came to one of their players facing some legal trouble off of the field, and whether or not to keep them with the team or not.
In the spring of 2023, it was wide receiver Traeshon Holden who was arrested on multiple charges, including Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Menacing, and Coercion. Holden was immediately released from the team, but then reinstated a few days later after more information was brought to the light, and the charges were dropped.
This spring, it was defensive back Daylen Austin who was arrested after being involved in a fatal hit and run, ultimately being charged with failure to perform the duties of a driver. This time, rather than dismissing Austin from the team right away, Lanning announced that he would be away from the team until further information was known, and they would reassess in the future.
Last week at Big Ten Media Days, Lanning told The Oregonian’s James Crepea that Austin was permitted to play during the 2024 season, and had been working out with his teammates throughout the summer.
Lanning said that they had gathered enough information to feel confident in Austin’s innocence, and believe that he has a right to play.
So what changed, and what was different in the decision-making process this time around? That’s something that I asked Lanning at Oregon’s annual media day on Monday.
“I think you learn from every situation,” Lanning said. “I’m excited to see what he’s able to do this season. But certainly, he deserves that opportunity, instead of having that yanked away until we all know how that’ll play out.”
It’s clear that Lanning and his staff took their experience from a year ago with Holden and applied it here, not making any rash moves. Instead, they let the process play out and all of the information come to light.
As Lanning said a week ago, he was “comfortable with giving an opportunity to a young man that deserves an opportunity to play in a country where innocent until proven guilty should mean something.”
I wrote a week ago when the news came out that I respect that decision from Lanning, and appreciate the fact that the staff learned from past instances and decided to exercise patience this time around, allowing the process to play out.
I still hold that feeling as we head into the 2024 season, and think that is is a great president to set going forward.
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