Star Centerfielder Kicked Out
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Our paper received an anonymous email on Thursday alerting us to a possible situation involving a baseball standout at BYU. With me being on the road, my colleague Jay Drew did a great job tracking down the details to confirm the story.
Centerfielder Kent Walton - a potential Major League baseball draft pick - was kicked out of school and dismissed from the team for not attending church enough. Walton's LDS Church bishop, Wayne Childs, withdrew Walton's ecclesiastical endorsement.
Drew talked to Walton's father, who disputes the notion, and said his son did attend church although he missed a few times because of illness and went to other wards. One of Walton's teammates confirmed his church attendance.
With this being BYU, nobody from the school can comment citing "privacy" issues. That is what makes these stories so hard to report because you typically just get one side of the story.
Drew was able to view some paperwork that confirmed Walton was kicked out for the reason stated above. Kent Walton said he still wants to go to BYU and doesn't want to attend another school because BYU fits with his spiritual beliefs. But for now, the Cougars are without a star centerfielder as the season is set to begin.
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Short shots:
- The top-ranked BYU men's volleyball team defeated No. 6 Cal State Northridge 30-28, 19-30, 30-19, 30-26 last night in the Smith Fieldhouse. Senior outside hitter Ivan Perez had 20 kills and 10 digs to lead BYU (8-0, 3-0), and senior opposite Jonathan Charette added 16 kills. The teams meet again tonight at 7 at Smith Fieldhouse. Doors open at 5:30.
- It wasn't as good a night for the BYU women's gymnastics team. The Cougars placed fourth in a four-way meet in Cedar City. No. 17 Southern Utah finished first 194.650 followed by Boise State (194.425), Cal State Fullerton (193.575) and BYU (193.350). BYU senior Dayna Smart-Allen earned her first individual title of the 2008 season with a 9.825 on the balance beam.
Centerfielder Kent Walton - a potential Major League baseball draft pick - was kicked out of school and dismissed from the team for not attending church enough. Walton's LDS Church bishop, Wayne Childs, withdrew Walton's ecclesiastical endorsement.
Drew talked to Walton's father, who disputes the notion, and said his son did attend church although he missed a few times because of illness and went to other wards. One of Walton's teammates confirmed his church attendance.
With this being BYU, nobody from the school can comment citing "privacy" issues. That is what makes these stories so hard to report because you typically just get one side of the story.
Drew was able to view some paperwork that confirmed Walton was kicked out for the reason stated above. Kent Walton said he still wants to go to BYU and doesn't want to attend another school because BYU fits with his spiritual beliefs. But for now, the Cougars are without a star centerfielder as the season is set to begin.
****
Short shots:
- The top-ranked BYU men's volleyball team defeated No. 6 Cal State Northridge 30-28, 19-30, 30-19, 30-26 last night in the Smith Fieldhouse. Senior outside hitter Ivan Perez had 20 kills and 10 digs to lead BYU (8-0, 3-0), and senior opposite Jonathan Charette added 16 kills. The teams meet again tonight at 7 at Smith Fieldhouse. Doors open at 5:30.
- It wasn't as good a night for the BYU women's gymnastics team. The Cougars placed fourth in a four-way meet in Cedar City. No. 17 Southern Utah finished first 194.650 followed by Boise State (194.425), Cal State Fullerton (193.575) and BYU (193.350). BYU senior Dayna Smart-Allen earned her first individual title of the 2008 season with a 9.825 on the balance beam.
7:27 AM
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3 Comments:
This doesn't make any sense. Logic tends to place the fault here on the bishop, and thus on BYU, not the young man.
To be able to be at BYU one must have an ecclesiastical endorsement. This comes from the bishop and stake president. They are the ones who decide, and if they deem that one should not receive it, they don't give it and BYU must honor it. Just because someone goes to church with a friend doesnt mean that they are eligible to receive the endorsement.Each student has their own ward to go to and if they dont, no one knows who they are and the bishops wont give out an endorsement. He is as much at fault as anyone, probably more.
The other students in the ward didn't even know who Walton was. If you're a no-show at church that's the breaks. Fault the rules if you want, but that's how the game is played at BYU. It happens to kids all the time, but the media only pays attention when it's a sweetheart baseball player. Sounds to me like a case of a kid thinking he was above the law.
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