Francois’ apology was damage controlAlthough Ricky Jean-Francois’s comments about trying to take Tim Tebow out of the game were not the most intelligent thing to say, one can expect an overzealous young athlete to make such comments in preparation for a big game.Based upon Jean-Francois’s initial comments, there is no doubt that he meant the Tigers were aiming to physically injure Tebow. Why else would he make reference to the Florida medical staff? Again it wasn’t the most thoughtful or classy thing for Jean-Francois to say, but young men make mistakes sometimes.What disturbed me greatly though was the alleged “clarification” issued by the athletic department.From the bureaucratic wording of the clarification and the fact it was issued through a press release leads me to believe that these words did not come from Jean-Francois, but were rather damage control written and issued by members of the athletic department. The athletic department must think the public is naive to think those words came from Jean-Francois.Considering that new Athletic Director Joe Alleva was heavily criticized for his handling of the Duke lacrosse scandal during his tenure as AD at Duke, has been accused by former Duke athletes of encouraging steroid use, and about whom respected sportswriter John Feinstein once said is a man whose “next original idea would be his first” and whose “main asset when applying for the job (as Duke AD) was the fact that his racquetball partner was Mike Kzryzewski,” calling into question the integrity of the athletic department is heading into dangerous territory.This “stunt” may be negligible in the grand scheme of things, but it speaks to the suspect character of the athletic department’s leadership. I have a feeling this is not the last time I find myself wondering why Joe Alleva was hired as Athletic Director at LSU.Steve Wolfmass communication freshmanBand wants to play banned songs, tooI thought Lauren Walck’s opinion column – I mean, attack against Tiger Band – last year was uncalled for, but Sarah Burrows has proven that yet again people can display a tasteless contempt for Tiger Band.Ms. Burrows, you fail to realize that the source of your problems is NOT Tiger Band, but your own university. As a former member of Tiger Band, I can honestly say that the members of the band are just as disheartened that they are not allowed to play “Tiger Rag” or “Oh we Oh” as the student section is about not being allowed to hear it anymore. When the band receives direct orders from the university, it is their duty as the sound of LSU – the PULSE of LSU – to follow orders, no matter how harsh they may be. That is because the band is a direct reflection of the university. So when they are shown on television playing “Oh We Oh” and the students are chanting “You suck!” Not only does it make the university look bad, it also makes it look as if the band is provoking it. So do not take out your frustration on Tiger Band because it wasn’t the organization’s decision to make from the beginning.More importantly, make a change in the student section. When the university sees that the student section is still chanting “Oh We Oh, you suck!” despite the band not playing it, I’m sure they have no desire whatsoever to tell the band that they can play it again. The same goes for “Tiger Rag”. You have no idea how much the members of Tiger Band would like to play these songs. Tiger Band has its own traditions, and when these songs were taken away, the members were just as disappointed as the student section. They are students too, and these decisions affect their game day experience just as much as yours.This contest isn’t for the university; it’s for the students that make up the band. It’s in the hopes that the hard working students of this organization can have a better facility in which to practice. I’m sure if you were to take a look at the current band room, you’d be in complete disbelief that 325 people could stand in there at once, let alone change, eat, and practice. But they do every Saturday, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. So if you need a reason to vote, think of the legacy that is the “Golden Band from Tigerland”. Think of Pregame, Bandits, and Hey Fightin’ Tigers. Think of the people on that field four days a week that give up their Saturdays just so YOU can experience what many consider to be the best game day in college history.Most importantly, think of how you’d feel if some other band in the SEC won this competition instead of LSU. If that’s not a good reason to vote, then I don’t know what is.Capri Mandellapsychology sophomore—-Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at [email protected]