Letters

Give them second chance

I am perplexed by the actions of two Gonzaga University athletes.

I had always imagined that being talented at the highest level of collegiate sports would constitute the ultimate high. At least if I had had that talent and ability, I certainly would not want to expose my body to anything that might deteriorate those talents and abilities.

I know little about drugs, however I would have never imagined that mushrooms would constitute a felony. I doubt that Josh Heytvelt understood this as well. Young people often make mistakes and learn valuable lessons as a result. These young men will suffer the consequences of their actions within the justice system and their criminal record forever.

I have always been an advocate of allowing athletes to be penalized by the justice system when they are involved in illegal activities and being penalized by the coaches when breaking rules not related to legal discord.

I believe these young men deserve a second chance and the team should not have to suffer the consequences of mistakes that are part of the growing process. The team works too hard to have to pay the price and these two athletes deserve a chance to prove they can become the superstars many imagined they could become.

Some young people learn valuable lessons through their own mistakes and others learn by the mistakes of others. Rather than condemning these kids, we should be more interested in the lessons learned and young people accomplishing all they can in life.

Allan LeTourneau

Spokane

Letters policy

We welcome letters of up to 200 words on all sports and outdoors topics. Please include your signature, street address and telephone number where you can be reached for verification. Send to Letters to the Sports Editor, The Spokesman-Review, 999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201, or fax to (509) 744-5655, or e-mail to sports@spokesman.com.