KU’s Silvio De Sousa deserves shot at redemption after

brawl
BY TORIANO PORTER

TPORTER@KCSTAR.COM

After watching the fallout from the KU-K-State bench-clearing brawl that resulted in the suspension of Kansas
big man Silvio De Sousa, I was reminded that life is bigger than basketball, or any other sport.

Other players participated in the Tuesday night melee and were deservedly punished as well, but my
colleagues and I on The Star Editorial Board called on KU coach Bill Self to go further than the Big 12 had
with its 12-game suspension and dismiss De Sousa from the team.

Redemption comes in many forms, though. And while I don’t necessarily speak for other board members,
words from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas that we cannot give up on young people resonated with me.

“Long suspension? Sure. Punishment? Sure. But I’m never gonna stand for throwing away a young black
man’s career,” the mayor wrote on Twitter. “He’s a kid. He’ll learn from this and he’s embarrassed. Let’s be
teachers at a university, not corrections officers.”

Amen, Mayor Lucas.

De Sousa, a 6-foot-9 inch power forward from Angola with professional prospects, has had a challenging stint
in Lawrence. He sat out of games last year amid an investigation into illegal payments. The NCAA banished
De Sousa from competition for two years, but he was reinstated this year after an appeal.

This season was his chance to put his college career and NBA hopes back on track. But then he found himself
at the center of the ugly fracas at Allen Fieldhouse, ever-so-briefly wielding a stool.

De Sousa’s touching apology one day after the fight not only tugged at my heart, but it also showed me the
measure of grace needed to make amends.

“You guys fought for me when nobody else did, and I am eternally grateful,” the young man wrote. “I will
continue to support my team and do everything I can to help while serving my suspension. I messed up and I
am sorry.”

The story of redemption is personal to me. I struggled socially and academically as a student-athlete. If not for
the multiple opportunities to right the ship, I doubt I would even be here typing these words.

A failure to attend class and bone-headed mistakes off the field were my initial undoing. Before my freshman
year was over, I was told the full scholarship I earned to play football at the University of Central Missouri
would not be renewed the following year.
I was devastated. But you can’t blow off academics and act up on campus and expect to stay on a team.

Sophomore year, I was academically ineligible to play ball. Begrudgingly, I took out student loans and
enrolled for another go-round in Warrensburg. I was expelled that year after failing to maintain a qualifying
GPA.

After a year of running the streets of St. Louis doing God knows what, I returned to campus seeking another
chance to play college football. Terry Noland, the head coach at the time, said he would welcome me back
under two conditions: 1. No more misbehaving on campus or around town. 2. And I had to pay my own way.

I earned back a full scholarship the following year and played two seasons as a Mule. Once my eligibility ran
out and my NFL aspirations (who was I kidding?) didn’t pan out, I shifted my focus to walking across the
stage.

It’s awfully difficult to sit here and say that De Sousa doesn’t deserve a shot at redefining his future.
Sometimes we have to bump our heads more than once to realize the tremendous opportunity we have to play
a game we love and receive a top-notch education.

There are no guarantees De Sousa will play professional ball. But what we do know — and what I can attest to
— is that an education will take you further than any sport ever could.

My hope is that De Sousa and his teammates learn from their mistakes, grow and go on to become productive
citizens, regardless of their career paths. If not for multiple chances to walk the straight and narrow, there is no
telling where I would be today.