RB Robert Washington, Jr. (Charlotte NC)

[NickyNewark]

Really? Why wouldn't they accept it?

i'm not sure? Apparently there's a timeline on someones tweet how things went down. There's info on RU's ri vals message board pertaining to this.

 

[huskymedic]

Sorry rumor is UF refused to accept his verbal and 15 minutes later he gave it to Cuse. Just what i understand from other boards.

From all I've seen he never spoke to the Florida coaches to commit so I'm not sure it can actually be categorized as a decommit. Heck, from reports he never even stepped foot on UF campus for a visit. (Nobody is disputing he had an offer though).

Not sure this saga is over yet... February is a long way away

 

[NickyNewark]

From all I've seen he never spoke to the Florida coaches to commit so I'm not sure it can actually be categorized as a decommit. Heck, from reports he never even stepped foot on UF campus for a visit. (Nobody is disputing he had an offer though).

Not sure this saga is over yet... February is a long way away

I see over there its "timeline" on Tyler Donohues twitter feed.

 

[Durks07]

From all I've seen he never spoke to the Florida coaches to commit so I'm not sure it can actually be categorized as a decommit. Heck, from reports he never even stepped foot on UF campus for a visit. (Nobody is disputing he had an offer though).

Not sure this saga is over yet... February is a long way away

We'll just be right here chilling out until then.

 

[Ldandy]

Really? Why wouldn't they accept it?

The unseemly side of "big boy" recruiting rearing its ugly head. When schools have upwards of 150-200 offers out to prospects there is a clear hierarchy for when or even if they'll accept a verbal. Washington likely had a UF "Offer" as much as 10 other running backs did. If UF struck out on a bunch of kids they liked better they may have turned up the heat on his recruitment at a later point. His attempt to commit likely took them by surprise, and when they balked he ran to a school that would do cartwheels to take his commitment..

 

[NickyNewark]

The unseemly side of "big boy" recruiting rearing its ugly head. When schools have upwards of 150-200 offers out to prospects there is a clear hierarchy for when or even if they'll accept a verbal. Washington likely had a UF "Offer" as much as 10 other running backs did. If UF struck out on a bunch of kids they liked better they may have turned up the heat on his recruitment at a later point. His attempt to commit likely took them by surprise, and when they balked he ran to a school that would do cartwheels to take his commitment..

Want to hear something funny? Those delusional Cuse fans are snickering and gloating on there recruiting page about how hopeless the fans on here are even though they think "if RW qualfies" he'll be sticking with them!! They used to obsess about RU but even though they got their ticket punched they feel that SUperior need ala BC to pile on the misery. Some Clown named TexanMark seems to take special delight!?! They should be happy as a FB cellar dweller in a weak BE2 like ACC.

 

[FDNY99]

Want to hear something funny? Those delusional Cuse fans are snickering and gloating on there recruiting page about how hopeless the fans on here are even though they think "if RW qualfies" he'll be sticking with them!! They used to obsess about RU but even though they got their ticket punched they feel that SUperior need ala BC to pile on the misery. Some Clown named TexanMark seems to take special delight!?! They should be happy as a FB cellar dweller in a weak BE2 like ACC.

that guy is a complete a s s h a t who is all over CSNBBS. He flat-out HATES UCONN

 

[NickyNewark]

that guy is a complete a s s h a t who is all over CSNBBS. He flat-out HATES UCONN

yeah..hes everything I hate about the eastern privates....he needs a life. Hes the reason i find a joy in SU's demise in reputation esp in FB. I'm looking forward to their meltdown when RW don't qualify or decommits if his grades improve.

 

[huskymedic]

Ryan Murray‏@SUonRivals
Confirmed 3 star running back Robert Washington is no longer a Syracuse verbal commitment

 

[B1GEast]

Ryan Murray‏@SUonRivals
Confirmed 3 star running back Robert Washington is no longer a Syracuse verbal commitment

something weird going on with this, smells bad

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

something weird going on with this, smells bad

Yup, rotten oranges. The whole damn school!

 

[huskymedic]

RivalsFriedman8:09am via Twitter Web Client
Doesn't look like recent #Syracusedecommit Robert Washington Jr will be playing football this year

 

[uconndogs]

First, I hope this young man gets to pursue his education and football dreams. Ultimately, that's what's most important for these young people.

That said, there is no more delusional fan base than the Orange. They follow recruiting sites like they are scripture and they just fail to realize that Syracuse, like UCONN, will never recruit in the rarified air that college football elite programs do. More over, if the Orange consistently grace the bottom rungs of the ACC, the talent pool available to them will not be much different than that available to UCONN even if we end up stuck in the AAC.

You had to experience being at the Carrier Dome when UCONN was reeling off win after win over Syracuse. The faithful there just didn't understand how the newbie UCONN with recruiting rankings in the toilet consistently beat them. They never understood that the talent had shifted in UCONN's favor, and until the stupid twins came to UCONN, coaching was clearly in UCONN's favor.

I'm sure this kid is a wonderful talent, but many in Orange Country were ready to give him the 44. Well, maybe that should be based on putting the pads on in a college game and not based on internet hyperbole.

 

[Dynasty]

I can't link from here, but there is story on Rivals about Washington. I recommend reading it. It really gives insight into his situation.

 

[ktuck911]

Good article... Didn't realize his strong connection to CT... Glad he's in a better situation though. Which will put him in a position to be a better person in the long run... and I wouldn't be mad if we revisited recruiting him at the JUCO level. Kid is in the midst of a great story of perserverance.

 

[BNich]

Good article... Didn't realize his strong connection to CT... Glad he's in a better situation though. Which will put him in a position to be a better person in the long run... and I wouldn't be mad if we revisited recruiting him at the JUCO level. Kid is in the midst of a great story of perserverance.

So for someone that can't read the article can either of you shed some light on the situation?

 

[sub legacy]

Good article... Didn't realize his strong connection to CT... Glad he's in a better situation though. Which will put him in a position to be a better person in the long run... and I wouldn't be mad if we revisited recruiting him at the JUCO level. Kid is in the midst of a great story of perserverance.

So for someone that can't read the article can either of you shed some light on the situation?

Ditto. I don't have access to the article.

 

[huskymedic]

Highlights:

>>Washington grew up with his father in North Carolina while his mother lived in Connecticut. Around the time of his commitment to Syracuse in the spring of his junior year, Washington's home life became strained and he went to live with his mother. "It was the best decision for everybody, me and my family," Washington said. "I moved up there and lived up there for about two months. Up there, I got in a school, but I wasn't able to play football. I just worked out." Due to transfer rules, Washington was unable to participate in team activities at Bridgeport (Conn.) Harding High School, and things would get worse before they got better. Life at home with his mother devolved and suddenly Washington was out on the streets before the spring semester was complete.

"After my situation went bad, I ended up homeless for a couple days," he said. "I stayed by a church every night. It was a tough time. I was only 17 at the time and there were so many things running through my mind. I was focused on where I was going to sleep, what I was going to eat, what am I going to do for clothing, what am I going to do for this, how am I going to get out of this situation and back to North Carolina.

"Every night all of that was running through my mind and I just prayed while I was out there that God would keep me safe and lead me to the right thing to do. I waited it out and finally got an opportunity because somebody, a stranger, gave me some change so I could use a pay phone. God helped me out. My church helped me and I took a bus about 22 hours. Man, that ride was long. It was tough."

Going back to his family in North Carolina was not an option, so Washington turned to his church, Ascending Faith Christian Ministries, for help.

"When I was made aware of the situation, Robert was on his way back home," said the church's pastor, Lisa Sanders. "We at Ascending Faith believe that when there is a need we stick together not only for the spiritual things but also for things that pertain to the natural. … Anyone that reaches out to this ministry, we provide what we think is necessary to help them get back on track. With that being something that we've always done, this was nothing out of the normal.">>

>>Ascending Faith also assisted Washington by putting him in touch with community leaders.

"They took it upon themselves to take the stress off of me to help me focus on school and get everything worked out with football," Washington said. "The adults in my life and in the community really took the stress off me. That's the reason I really made it through this."

Thanks to Pastor Sanders and the members of Ascending Faith, Washington now had a roof over his head, but to get back on track, he would need to get back into school.

The members of Ascending Faith arranged for Washington to meet with Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell. Bell played an integral role in helping Washington navigate through all the red tape, clearing the way for Washington to resume high school at East Gaston High. And because he was essentially transferring from one North Carolina high school to another from a football perspective, it took all of September to get him cleared and eligible to participate in games.

"I went to the District Attorney's office the first day I was down here," Washington said. "Locke Bell helped me out so much. When I came back here I was lost and didn't know what to do. He was a father figure to me and helped me through so much emotionally, physically, legally and spiritually. He helped me out with some legal things, court documents and trying to get everything worked out for school. We tried to get me back into East Gaston and work out things from there."<<

>>"The main thing I've taken away from all this is hardship and overcoming things. In the future, if I get approached by something hard, maybe not as serious, I know there are ways to solve the problem."

Through all of this, the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Washington would still like to continue his football career. He has been reaching out to Pittsburgh, East Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska and Michigan. Due to some academic concerns caused by his troubles during the second semester of his junior year, Washington may have to enroll in a junior college before he can fulfill his dream of playing for an FBS school.

"I definitely want to play in college," he said. "I love football. Right now I'm an open book and I'm looking for the right school for me, coaches I can surround myself with and trust."<<

 

[JMick]

Highlights:

>>Washington grew up with his father in North Carolina while his mother lived in Connecticut. Around the time of his commitment to Syracuse in the spring of his junior year, Washington's home life became strained and he went to live with his mother. "It was the best decision for everybody, me and my family," Washington said. "I moved up there and lived up there for about two months. Up there, I got in a school, but I wasn't able to play football. I just worked out." Due to transfer rules, Washington was unable to participate in team activities at Bridgeport (Conn.) Harding High School, and things would get worse before they got better. Life at home with his mother devolved and suddenly Washington was out on the streets before the spring semester was complete.

"After my situation went bad, I ended up homeless for a couple days," he said. "I stayed by a church every night. It was a tough time. I was only 17 at the time and there were so many things running through my mind. I was focused on where I was going to sleep, what I was going to eat, what am I going to do for clothing, what am I going to do for this, how am I going to get out of this situation and back to North Carolina.

"Every night all of that was running through my mind and I just prayed while I was out there that God would keep me safe and lead me to the right thing to do. I waited it out and finally got an opportunity because somebody, a stranger, gave me some change so I could use a pay phone. God helped me out. My church helped me and I took a bus about 22 hours. Man, that ride was long. It was tough."

Going back to his family in North Carolina was not an option, so Washington turned to his church, Ascending Faith Christian Ministries, for help.

"When I was made aware of the situation, Robert was on his way back home," said the church's pastor, Lisa Sanders. "We at Ascending Faith believe that when there is a need we stick together not only for the spiritual things but also for things that pertain to the natural. … Anyone that reaches out to this ministry, we provide what we think is necessary to help them get back on track. With that being something that we've always done, this was nothing out of the normal.">>

>>Ascending Faith also assisted Washington by putting him in touch with community leaders.

"They took it upon themselves to take the stress off of me to help me focus on school and get everything worked out with football," Washington said. "The adults in my life and in the community really took the stress off me. That's the reason I really made it through this."

Thanks to Pastor Sanders and the members of Ascending Faith, Washington now had a roof over his head, but to get back on track, he would need to get back into school.

The members of Ascending Faith arranged for Washington to meet with Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell. Bell played an integral role in helping Washington navigate through all the red tape, clearing the way for Washington to resume high school at East Gaston High. And because he was essentially transferring from one North Carolina high school to another from a football perspective, it took all of September to get him cleared and eligible to participate in games.

"I went to the District Attorney's office the first day I was down here," Washington said. "Locke Bell helped me out so much. When I came back here I was lost and didn't know what to do. He was a father figure to me and helped me through so much emotionally, physically, legally and spiritually. He helped me out with some legal things, court documents and trying to get everything worked out for school. We tried to get me back into East Gaston and work out things from there."<<

>>"The main thing I've taken away from all this is hardship and overcoming things. In the future, if I get approached by something hard, maybe not as serious, I know there are ways to solve the problem."

Through all of this, the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Washington would still like to continue his football career. He has been reaching out to Pittsburgh, East Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska and Michigan. Due to some academic concerns caused by his troubles during the second semester of his junior year, Washington may have to enroll in a junior college before he can fulfill his dream of playing for an FBS school.

"I definitely want to play in college," he said. "I love football. Right now I'm an open book and I'm looking for the right school for me, coaches I can surround myself with and trust."<<

God what a story. I hope everything works out for him. If he goes the JUCO route and his grades are good I hope we get back into contact with him.

 

[BNich]

God bless the young man. Through the trials and tribulations that he has most recently been through, I hope things work out happily for him. That is very tough story and situation to read through about a highly talented recruit.

 

[Drew]

FWIW Washington signed with the Charlotte 49ers. Kid was uber talented but major off the field issues. Hope he can have a good career at UNCC