Fantastic article about Dedrick Mills

[DH9387]

After hard fall, Dedrick Mills pledges a comeback

Ken has really stepped his game up this summer. The article talks about what happened and how things have gone since. I especially loved seeing that CPJ is continuing to counsel him to this day.

His mother said that Dedrick was humble while he was at Tech, but is even more so now. Johnson, whose fondness for Mills is obvious, continues to counsel him.

“My hope is that he doesn’t end up back in Waycross with no degree and nowhere to go,” Johnson said. “I’d like for him to go somewhere and play and get his degree.”

 

[Buzztheirazz]

Gaw bless what coulda been...

Sucker might have been a Heisman candidate for us.

 

[Jacketman1]

Would've been a GREAT B-Back for us. Cross him with Dwyer, and you have the prototype for a B-Back. I truly believe he would have broken records at GT. Wish him the best in his career, I would love to see him break out.

 

[crl85]

Haven’t been more excited about a player going into last season since joe ham. Sucks. But it sucks more for him.

That’s a tough way to learn a lesson. He was in the wrong, but he was 18 and no other schools care about failing tests for pot.

 

[tech_wreck47]

Yet some of y’all wanted to bash the kid.........

 

[ilovetheoption]

Yet some of y’all wanted to bash the kid.........

I still kinda do. You fail 2x, and you KNOW the policy, its just plain stupid to keep using. I don't care if the law is stupid, it's your future you're throwing away to get stoned.

 

[Jacketman1]

Also, just wanted to add. This could be our backfield:
QB: TaQuon, senior.
BB: Mills, junior. Marshall, senior.
AB: Lynch, r-senior. Searcy, r-senior.

 

[tech_wreck47]

I still kinda do. You fail 2x, and you KNOW the policy, its just plain stupid to keep using. I don't care if the law is stupid, it's your future you're throwing away to get stoned.

He grew up in a not so good situation and his 16 year old brother was in jail for 4 years. I’m not justifying what he did, but I’m not gonna pretend to know what it was like. I can definitely see how he was struggling.

 

[jgtengineer]

I think a huge takeaway here is that CPJ kept contact with him. And helping him. And people say he's not a players coach.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Too bad the rules won't allow him to return to Tech.

 

[Ibeeballin]

Dedrick is 99.9% at fault, but what struck me the most

Despite the jeopardy he was putting himself in, he returned to using.

“I would say just being around it,” Mills said,

So you got a player who was recognized by majority as the best on the team, he’s on strike 2 for weed,
and you still going to smoke around him? Some ****ty teammates and friends right there.

 

[Adadu]

I still kinda do. You fail 2x, and you KNOW the policy, its just plain stupid to keep using. I don't care if the law is stupid, it's your future you're throwing away to get stoned.

Trust me, it's hard for these kids to stay away from stuff like this. They are the absolute life of the party wherever they go on campus, getting all sorts of attention, free stuff, favors, girls, you name it. When everyone is telling you "you're the man" you tend to believe it and some guys fall into the trap of being drunk off popularity instead of using their heads. I currently go to a large ACC school and have had the opportunity to know a lot of active football players during my time there and believe me that Tech is doing things MUCH more strictly than the ACC norm. On top of this there is a considerable amount of very poor character people that act like absolute children and/or criminals (that should undoubtedly be in jail) at my institution, so I find it hard to believe that Tech as another large ACC school doesn't have at least a few bad influences on their team that may have contributed to his going back to using instead of steering him in a better direction (hopefully, fewer poor influences than the norm).

 

[Oakland]

Great article. I think everyone will be pulling for Mills to have a successful life. I hate the way the Mills story turned out at GT, but now we have Benson. Nothing again Mills, but Benson made me forget about him. I hope Mills makes it to Nebraska and has a great career. I hope Benson is in the running for the Heisman his senior year.

 

[awbuzz]

Good write up by Ken. Better still that DM hasn't totally given up.

Agree that KirVonte has filled the cleats that Dedrick fell out of...

 

[MountainBuzzMan]

I wish Tech would waive the part of the policy about not coming back. Give the kid a second chance if he has truly learned his lesson.

 

[Oakland]

I wish Tech would waive the part of the policy about not coming back. Give the kid a second chance if he has truly learned his lesson.

I really agree with this. I know there are folks who are going to say he had three chances and agree with them. His wake up call should have been the second warning. I'm not positive, but I believe that requires a meeting with both the head football coach and the AD. That should have been it. But when I was his age I did dumb stuff. Being kicked off the team had to be humiliating and depressing. Even if Tech reconsidered their policy, the article makes it sound like he would not have the grades to return. He'll be my favorite non-Tech player for the next couple of years.

 

[SolicitorJacket]

I wish Tech would waive the part of the policy about not coming back. Give the kid a second chance if he has truly learned his lesson.

I won't pretend to know all the details around this, but Tech has a very hard time taking JUCO transfers, and despite spending his first year here, in essence that is what it would have been.

Once again I could be wrong, but I dont know if his JUCO credits from Garden State would have transferred to Tech in such a way that he would remain eligible with academic progress requirements.

 

[GTMom]

I won't pretend to know all the details around this, but Tech has a very hard time taking JUCO transfers, and despite spending his first year here, in essence that is what it would have been.

Once again I could be wrong, but I dont know if his JUCO credits from Garden State would have transferred to Tech in such a way that he would remain eligible with academic progress requirements.

I seriously doubt his credits would transfer, that is another area that Tech is very strict on. Not the most sought after degree in the corporate technical world for nothing.

 

[tmhunter52]

Sadly, in so many other areas of our society, repeated use of drugs would be considered an addiction and, possibly, even a disability. The focus would be treatment and rehabilitation. Too bad that avenue was not available to Mills.

 

[MidtownJacket]

This is a really sad story, and while I understand [and believe in accountability] it still is a tough road to hoe for him.

I am glad to see GT standing behind him, and that CPJ is staying in contact. Our Network is one of the reasons I chose to go to GT, and believe in supporting our own. He has a fan in me for as long as he plays.