Child’s update?

[Bradley3342]

Here’s hoping for great things for Eli!

[egib52]

Good luck to Eli! I really think that this was the best decision he could make.

[patrick_o'brian]

Best of luck Eli! Happy for him!

[PhiAlphaBoy]

I'm sorry, but his reputation will always remain tarnished with me. Even if he did nothing illegal he let down his teammates, coaches, family, friends, Bradley University, the Peoria community, and all alumni and fans of Bradley Basketball.

[Dub]

I'm sorry, but his reputation will always remain tarnished with me. Even if he did nothing illegal he let down his teammates, coaches, family, friends, Bradley University, the Peoria community, and all alumni and fans of Bradley Basketball.

Phi- it’s ok to wish the best for someone after they’ve erred, no? The young man worked hard for us and provided some real special moments. My best wishes go out to Eli regardless of his mistakes.

[PhiAlphaBoy]

There's certainly nothing wrong with wishing the man well Dub. I hope he gets his life in order and has an opportunity to give back to Bradley University and the Peoria community. Everyone should be given an opportunity to earn back lost trust and respect. I certainly won't permanently close the door on Childs.

[yoda]

he was set up, the claims are 100% bogus and Spgfld LE knows it, admin threw him under the bus.... he has no plans to ever return to Peoria.
People can and will hate on him, but some day the truth will be made known.

[lb071964]

Bradley had a lot to gain by throwing him under the bus, please! The rest of what you say may be true, I have no idea. Eli was a big part of the BU program and was loved by his Coaches, teammates and fans. No matter what else happened or didn’t happen that night he had a woman in his room well past lights out and that was his decision. I am in no way throwing stones at Eli, but if he cuts ties with BU forever he will be making a big mistake. There are a lot of us that care very deeply for him and wish him the very best. Some day the MVC champs will be honored and he needs to be there so fans can give him the well deserved appreciation for an amazing career.

[egib52]

he was set up, the claims are 100% bogus and Spgfld LE knows it, admin threw him under the bus.... he has no plans to ever return to Peoria.
People can and will hate on him, but some day the truth will be made known.

How did admin throw him under the bus, and to what gain? He was a beloved member of the team, and I for one hope that if he is innocent that it is known publicly.

[yoda]

never said otherwise- he was guilty of violating curfew rules - hardly a rarity in college sports or at BU. Formerly - even in just the past 8-9 years, we have had players dealing narcotics, convicted of beating up girlfriends, using fake ID's at strip joints, and missing curfew plenty of times but always back on the court in a couple days. What some saw as a lot to gain was the story went silent a whole lot quicker, but it cost us 3 talented players in addition to any chance to compete in the MVC in 2020-21.

[yoda]

does it make sense to you? Outstanding player and person, an honor student, never a hint of trouble, everyone from Wardle to Dr. Reynolds
have described Eli as the highest of character
-and for a 1st time curfew violation, never been charged with any violation, he gets what amounts to the death penalty for a college athlete? Heck, there's been players in the MVC with multiple DUIs, assaults, felonies, even raping a child who stayed on their team's roster.
Eli wasn't even accorded with the ubiquitous "we'll see how things play out" or "we will work it out internally and let the system play out". He never got even the tiniest whisper of defense or support from anyone at BU. You think that sounds fair for a 1st time curfew violation?

[lb071964]

If this was a first time curfew violation we wouldn’t even be talking about it at this point. I’ve said all I’m going to say about this other than to say I hope Eli stays part of the BU family for life. I wish him well overseas and I will be following him. I hope his life is everything he would want it to be. He will always be one of my favorite BU players!

[BUfan17]

does it make sense to you? Outstanding player and person, an honor student, never a hint of trouble, everyone from Wardle to Dr. Reynolds
have described Eli as the highest of character
-and for a 1st time curfew violation, never been charged with any violation, he gets what amounts to the death penalty for a college athlete? Heck, there's been players in the MVC with multiple DUIs, assaults, felonies, even raping a child who stayed on their team's roster.
Eli wasn't even accorded with the ubiquitous "we'll see how things play out" or "we will work it out internally and let the system play out". He never got even the tiniest whisper of defense or support from anyone at BU. You think that sounds fair for a 1st time curfew violation?

The incident happened while traveling on Bradley Basketball time in a hotel that Bradley provided. Also it was reported there was more going on than just a simple curfew violation...

I don't think anyone at Bradley or anyone on this board "had it out for Eli" like you are trying to imply. Like I said this happened on Bradley Basketball time, not his own free time away from the team. There is no way Bradley could have just looked the other way and ignored this situation as they are directly involved with it. That would be a whole PR disaster for the University. It's not like we were even an at-large team last season. Yeah it sucks our best player had to sit out the rest of the season but I'd rather preserve our school's reputation and integrity over trying to salvage a team that was on the downslide anyway.

[PhiAlphaBoy]

The incident happened while traveling on Bradley Basketball time in a hotel that Bradley provided. Also it was reported there was more going on than just a simple curfew violation...

I don't think anyone at Bradley or anyone on this board "had it out for Eli" like you are trying to imply. Like I said this happened on Bradley Basketball time, not his own free time away from the team. There is no way Bradley could have just looked the other way and ignored this situation as they are directly involved with it. That would be a whole PR disaster for the University. It's not like we were even an at-large team last season. Yeah it sucks our best player had to sit out the rest of the season but I'd rather preserve our school's reputation and integrity over trying to salvage a team that was on the downslide anyway.

Thank you! This needed to be said BUfan. Bradley did what any upstanding, respectable institution and program would/should do. It's time to stop defending bad behavior and but on our "big boy pants" here. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[LittleBrave]

I'm sorry, but his reputation will always remain tarnished with me. Even if he did nothing illegal he let down his teammates, coaches, family, friends, Bradley University, the Peoria community, and all alumni and fans of Bradley Basketball.

I can’t fault you for your stance here. others have responded and it seems you’re taking a little of that viewpoint too.
I have mixed feelings too.