Herd football players span the character spectrum

 If you're lucky, you get a second chance. 

If you're really lucky, you get a third chance.

If you're DeQuan Bembry, you get four chances, and you blow every single one of them.

I don't want to bash DeQuan, but I don't think it's bashing to point out that this is a young man who has received more chances before reaching his 22nd birthday than many people receive in their entire lives, and he wasted each one.

Do I wish Bembry ill? Of course not. I wish him the best, just as I hope other Herd fans will, and I also wish him the wisdom to make smarter decisions in the future.

The whole Bembry scenario does show promise for Doc Holliday, who has already had to demonstrate his policy on tolerating bad decision-making by his players. One can only hope that this will be the last time Holliday has to kick off a player for poor choices, but it does reflect well on Holliday that he's doing his best to take the Herd out of the running for a win of the dreaded Fulmer Cup.

Now, let's compare the Bembry situation to a couple of other events involving men who have donned the green and white football uniforms. First, there's Troy Brown, who has already gone down in Marshall history books as one of the best players of Herd football. Over the weekend, he earned national recognition as he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame – only the fifth Marshall athlete to receive the honor. Brown has also become recognized for his charity work in the Huntington community, which earned him the honor of having a  portion of Route 10 designated as Troy Brown Way.

But it's not just former football standouts who are putting a good name to Marshall football. Senior tight end Lee Smith was announced by Allstate Insurance and the American Football Coaches Association as a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes student athletes for their contributions to their communities.

So, if the fact that a now-former Marshall University football player may be adding a blemish to the Thundering Herd's reputation has you down, focus on the fact that we have produced and continue to produce athletes who do great things both on the field and off.

In the future, let's hope for more Troy Browns, more Lee Smiths and fewer DeQuan Bembrys.

Sam Turley can be contacted at turley60@marshall.edu.