Thank You from the Todd's

Pilot Nation,

I only know two people on this board - pilotdad1, because he’s been gracious to reach out recently, and DoubleDipper, who introduced himself during Jason’s freshman year.  So to the rest of you who I may have met in person, but don’t know by face .. this is for you as well.

THANK YOU. Thank you for supporting Jason and our family, whether it be in person, before or after a game, via this forum, through conversations, messages, and calls - our family appreciates it.  Some of you have met my wife Jodi and other two children.  We don’t know 99% of you, but ALL of us still want to convey our humble thanks for your kindness these last two years.

upbasketball544, your post in Where do we go from here? gave me chills when I first read it.  It’s been difficult for us knowing the truth and not being able to say anything for fear of what could happen to Jason, so I appreciate what you put out there.  I replied once, and again I mean it when I say I hope someday we will meet in person.  There have been countless people who’ve inquired as to how Jason was doing after the assault in December.  We certainly have appreciated that sincere interest.

The assumption by most was that Jason’s injuries happened in practice, an inadvertent elbow or accident of sorts – obviously not true.  I was asked by DoubleDipper at the Far West Classic what happened, and I told him.  I was asked by other UP supporters that night, and I told them.  As the year went on, numerous UP business folk, alums, season-ticket holders, local and regional broadcasters, parents and students asked Jodi and I, and we answered as politely and respectfully as we could.  Being honest was the only way we knew how to answer.  It was much easier and we didn’t have to make anything up.

It’s brutal seeing your child with gauze up his nose, a bruised face, a broken nose, a concussion and a difficult story to tell.  That’s what we saw and listened to that night in the training room.  It was life-changing.  Jason’s world was turned upside down as he sat on his chair in the locker room prepping for a game.  Let me be clear – sitting on his chair.  A verbal disagreement led to an attack and it was impossibly for Jason to defend himself sitting down.  If it wasn’t for two of his teammates pulling the offender off, it could have been so much worse.

The facts are what they are.  A ‘no contact’ order was immediately put into effect, we stayed around and all parties met with Public Safety as the investigation and incident report were completed.  After the Student Affairs hearing the following week, the offender was told to leave campus.  Jason missed games, he had to go thru the proper concussion protocol and in my opinion, admirably gave his best for the Pilots once he was cleared to play.

I’ve read a few things on the Jason Todd to transfer topic, I’ll try my best to reply:

blacksheep - “clearly there is more”.  Yes, absolutely.

Wrv -  “shooting touch was not so good.”  Ok.  As a freshman – 47 fg%, 44% from 3, 59 ft%.  As a soph – 43 fg%, 35% from 3, 76 ft% .. in both years, higher than some guys, lower than some.  No doubt it’s always up for debate as to the definition of “not so good.”  However, take my word when I state that playing time was NOT a factor in him transferring.

NoPoNeighbor - there was a reason you saw Jason’s enthusiasm following the new hiring, because he didn’t know what was about to come.

I’m only speaking about all of this now, because last week Jason officially received his letter of acceptance from Cal Baptist.  It was a crazy and busy time but Jason embraced it as a new beginning and the Lancer staff is thrilled to have him for 3 years.  

Again, this wasn’t a playing time decision that most transfers are about.  This is about a kid digging deep and making a choice regarding his personal safety and how he envisions his college experience.  I love him for that.  I love his courage.

I’ll leave it up to you as to whether you feel the assault should have been talked about publicly or not.  Not my call.  Our priority was our son.  As a family, we chose the high road from the beginning so these college kids could play games and finish their season without some crazy parents causing a distraction.  We didn’t then and don’t now have an agenda, other than hoping Jason continues to feel safe on his college campus.  Jason has been contacted by The Beacon to talk about it, I've also been asked by local papers in WA and OR.  We haven't initiated any of these talks, people have come to us.  This isn’t a secret folks.  UP knows about it, just ask around.

I understand the need to support the Pilots, the players, the new staff, that's fine.  That's what loyal Pilots do, what this message board talks about, I get that.  But you also have to understand we now come at it from a little different perspective. Every time somebody claps for the offender, praises him, etc., that’s someone that assaulted my son.  That’s tough to take.  Should you feel bad?  No, support your team, everybody should move forward as best they can.  But it wasn't for Jason anymore.  No way did he want to be always be looking over his shoulder.

You know I’m not anonymous.  I don’t shy away from this because it involves my blood.  I wish with all my heart that Jason wasn’t put in this position.  When I hear about “culture” and “impacting young man’s lives”, that’s awesome, I’m all for that too.  But Jason was told after the introductory news conference that his offender was returning.  We then had to scramble and arrange a meeting with Student Affairs and other staff to hear it for ourselves, to express our concern.  To no avail obviously, so be it.  UP had their direction, they wanted a 23-year old freshman when he's eligible and Jason eventually decided he didn't want the daily reminder for two more years.

I’ll agree with Coach Rev, who re-tweeted  .. “There is nothing more critical to your success than the individuals you choose to surround yourself with – George Raveling.”

Jason met wonderful people in Portland and our hope is that somehow he’s positively impacted you in some way as well.  This was unprecedented territory for him and us.  I respectfully and genuinely THANK YOU on behalf of our entire family.  I really believe Jason’s a warrior, a guy you like having on your team, and is well respected within the UP and WCC community.  I can’t wait for the Riverside community, CBU and its coaches and Jason's new teammates to embrace his toughness on the floor and humility off of it.  If you read the messages from his teammates after he told them he was leaving, I think you’d agree he’ll be missed.  He gave what he could to UP and now he begins Plan B.

I’m unbelievably proud to be his Dad.  

Kevin Todd

I wish Jason the best. I regret his departure. There is a great deal to ponder in your post, including, obviously, whether Jason should be the player departing.

Thank you for the information. Thank you for your decency. I too am a father of a college age child: I am saddened by what happened and what Jason and you went through after the event.

I am also genuinely concerned about the administration's choice.

I am deeply disheartened by this news. It's unimaginabe, to me, that the Admistration and synchophanic fans can now steer the University down a path like this!
I was so happy to see his unselfish to the team.
.I know that this a ramblimg missive, but this horrid attack, on an undefended player...my questions is where was the coach and theplayer

I am deeply disheartened by this news. It's unimaginabe, to me, that the Admistration and synchophanic fans can now steer the University down a path like this!
I was so happy to see his unselfish to the team.
.I know that this a ramblimg missive, but this horrid attack, on an undefended player...my questions is where were the coach and theplayers when this happened? Why was Jason hit so many times before anyone intervene?
My best for your family and especialy...JASON...best always, Mike Mac

I really liked Jason as a player.  He brought a lot of toughness to the team.  This is a hard post to write because I know the very personal nature of the situation.

I have only been able to piece together what happened from third hand reports (or even fourth hand).  The actual incident hasn't been discussed on PN.  Probably because nobody really knows enough details to discuss it.

From what little I've pieced together, Chier certainly needed punished.  When the punishment news came out, I thought it was maybe too severe.  I thought it would end his ability to continue is education and basketball career.  I'm happy to see that he took his punishment and still decided to return.  I don't think this incident rises to the level that Chier shouldn't get a second chance.  We fans shouldn't feel guilty about welcoming him back after he served his punishment.  

It's unfortunate that as part of welcoming Chier back we lose Jason, but I certainly understand his decision to leave.  I wish Jason the best at Cal Baptist.

I find this incident to be very disturbing on the face of it. If a player was subjected to such a beating and the perpetrator was found to be guilty as charged, there is plenty of precedent from numerous colleges throughout the country to permanently end his scholarship and acceptance in the school. It's up to him to find his "second chance" elsewhere. In such cases, the school didn't make the decision to terminate him, his actions made the decision for them. If some here who are much more knowledgeable of the situation have concerns about the administration's actions, I would agree from what I read here. Believe me, recruits and their parents will get wind of this at some time and it will become a lingering problem.

This entire story is appalling. If there really are extenuating circumstances of some sort, they might change the perception. But if UP just remains silent, in the face of the bits and pieces that are known, then it is just a cover up. A sad sad start to Porter's career. He doesn't need Maker. If Maker needs another chance, he should be the one transferring. From other topics now active (Proud to be a Pilot) we are washing this under the bridge way too quickly. I thought UP was better (or supposed to be better) than this. And historically, for those that can recall the 60's, there were a number of infractions, most less than felony assault, that resulted in immediate expulsion from the team and the school.

Having never met Jason, I can't speak about him as a person or a teammate. As a fan, I really enjoyed watching him play.  A tough kid who could play a lot of positions.  I was looking forward to watching him play for two more years. I had a feeling next year was going to be a breakout season for him, especially offensively... unfortunately for us, that will now be for Cal Baptist. Good luck to Jason.

Jason as a person far exceeds anything he accomplished on the court or field. He will be just fine, you cant keep a good man down.

Jason Todd:

"Some people might think I was transferring because I didn’t like it there. That I didn’t like my teammates or I didn’t like the school. But I loved the school, I loved the city of Portland and I loved having my parents at every home game. I loved all of that."

"I’d love to be at the University of Portland still."

http://www.heraldnet.com/sports/altercation-leads-former-jackson-high-athlete-to-switch-colleges/

blacksheep wrote:I really liked Jason as a player.  He brought a lot of toughness to the team.  This is a hard post to write because I know the very personal nature of the situation.

I have only been able to piece together what happened from third hand reports (or even fourth hand).  The actual incident hasn't been discussed on PN.  Probably because nobody really knows enough details to discuss it.

From what little I've pieced together, Chier certainly needed punished.  When the punishment news came out, I thought it was maybe too severe.  I thought it would end his ability to continue is education and basketball career.  I'm happy to see that he took his punishment and still decided to return.  I don't think this incident rises to the level that Chier shouldn't get a second chance.  We fans shouldn't feel guilty about welcoming him back after he served his punishment.  

It's unfortunate that as part of welcoming Chier back we lose Jason, but I certainly understand his decision to leave.  I wish Jason the best at Cal Baptist.

Wait- WHAT?!  Too severe?!  Are you kidding me?  He should've been in jail, period.  I was unaware of this incident but am extremely disappointed in the university and will not continue to support the program.  I expected a lot better out of Terry Porter, guess he thought Maker was going to be better than he's turned out to be.

I spent almost 40 years in human services. In that time, I dealt with hundreds, if not thousands of issues and complaints. They came from contractors, service providers, managers, staff, customers, families, and advocates. I can't tell you the number of times I read or listened to an issue and thought there is just no way one could make a counter argument or offer a sufficient explanation - and then they would. It was a humbling experience. What I came to understand is that nobody has a monopoly on the truth.

I read all the posts on this one. I wouldn't for a moment question the sincerity or authenticity of Jason or his family. He is an impressive person and player and comes from an equally impressive family. I'm sorry he was put in a position of feeling like he had to leave. But I never heard the other sides. I decided I wasn't in a position to pass judgement.

bobtcat2 wrote:I was unaware of this incident but am extremely disappointed in the university and will not continue to support the program.  I expected a lot better out of Terry Porter, guess he thought Maker was going to be better than he's turned out to be.

Which means you are also unaware of all the circumstances of the event and the fact that Coach Porter had nothing to do with the final outcome that was adjudicated months before he became the head coach of the Pilots.

As an acquaintance of both individuals, I can assure that both acted outside their normal pattern of behavior....

StudentPilot wrote:

bobtcat2 wrote:I was unaware of this incident but am extremely disappointed in the university and will not continue to support the program.  I expected a lot better out of Terry Porter, guess he thought Maker was going to be better than he's turned out to be.

Which means you are also unaware of all the circumstances of the event and the fact that Coach Porter had nothing to do with the final outcome that was adjudicated months before he became the head coach of the Pilots.

As an acquaintance of both individuals, I can assure that both acted outside their normal pattern of behavior....

Well, maybe- but only one of them committed felony assault.

Porter could surely have told him he wasn't welcome on the team. I can't imagine wanting a player that would do something like that to a teammate. But the primary blame goes to the university for not showing him the door permanently.

bullwinkle wrote:I spent almost 40 years in human services.  In that time, I dealt with hundreds, if not thousands of issues and complaints.  They came from contractors, service providers, managers, staff, customers, families, and advocates.  I can't tell you the number of times I read or listened to an issue and thought there is just no way one could make a counter argument or offer a sufficient explanation - and then they would.   It was a humbling experience.  What I came to understand is that nobody has a monopoly on the truth.  

I read all the posts on this one.  I wouldn't for a moment question the sincerity or authenticity of Jason or his family.  He is an impressive person and player and comes from an equally impressive family.  I'm sorry he was put in a position of feeling like he had to leave.  But I never heard the other sides.  I decided I wasn't in a position to pass judgement.  

Well, since the university has no comment, we'll never know- but I sure want to know what justification there was for an attack of that severity.

Boy, this all worked out slick, huh?
Nice work UP. Shameful.

bullwinle wrote:I wouldn't for a moment question the sincerity or authenticity of Jason or his family.

You don't think there might be something missing about what provoked the attack? Really?


Are we supposed to believe Jason got his ass whipped for no reason at all?
You really think there was absolutely no provocation?

While violence is never to be condoned, the blameless victim tale doesn't pass the sniff test.

Geezaldinho wrote:

bullwinle wrote:I wouldn't for a moment question the sincerity or authenticity of Jason or his family.

You don't think there might be something missing about what provoked the attack? Really?


Are we supposed to believe Jason got his ass whipped for no reason at all?
You really think there was absolutely no provocation?

While violence is never to be condoned, the blameless victim tale doesn't pass the sniff test.

I hear that blaming the victim is generally not befitting.

Violence is not to be condoned, with few exceptions.

The perpetrator was wrong. The university suspended him for a reason.

wrv wrote:

I hear that blaming the victim is generally not befitting.

If there was a blameless victim you might have a point.

Violence is not to be condoned, with few exceptions.

I agree

The perpetrator was wrong.

Are you sure he was the only one who was wrong?

There were apparently two perps.

The university suspended him for a reason.

Jason also got his punishment for a reason.

I'll remind you that when it was all done and witnesses came forward, the team welcomes Chier back after his suspension (changed from a harsher penalty) with only one exception.

I think it would be best to let this thread die. I don't think Mr Todd accomplished anything with the first post, except to try to smear a University he knows can't answer back because of FERPA law. But that doesn't mean others can't reply, and pursuing this further will just add to the embarrassment all around.

If you want to talk about it, you know I come to games.