Thats not the issue here.

Its the fact that he is an adult now, and given you or I have no clue about the situation he is in we can not give our opinion on what type of person he is.

I work in the mental health field. I dealt with it in school. I have worked with plenty of "bad" kids as you put it, who have done some poopty things who are now great human beings.
- Santo_44

Let's hope any of the stupid stuff we did when we were 14 doesn't come out or in the last few years.
I'm not saying what he did was right but come on people.

Agreed.

I'm sorry if I may sound overly judgemental about this kind of behavior but my brother was bullied quite alot throughout his teenage years, and he wasn't a disabled kid that couldn't defend himself.

Point is, after seeing the kid of impact these actions can have on a person, I'm not one to forgive such actions easily.
- Scabeh

I would suggest you probably don't know enough about this situation to warrant forgiveness (or not).

I would suggest you probably don't know enough about this situation to warrant forgiveness (or not).
- mjones242

I agree, we don't know enough. My issues is that it was going on for years.. So, even though he was a kid, he should still know right from wrong.

I don't know. I don't think it's irrelevant.. Maybe if it was an isolated incident. Over the course of two years, that seems like a pattern to me.
- PatC80

Here's the thing . . . human nature has a dark side, especially while we are growing and hormononal and testosterone is building - and if the kid is a jock, he also faces other social pressures.

I want to first make it very clear - that the act is clearly awful and there's no excuse for it, nor is a simple I'm sorry and some community service going to make up for the damage it did to the other child.

But an awful act of malice is very different when you're a child than it is when you've matured. An awful act of malice is very different before you've come to consciously recognize your place within society and recognize . . . society for what it is. I don't think many 12 year olds have that sense of social conscience or that sense of self vs. others. At least not a developed sense. It's why bullying happens more at such a young age as well. Empathy is an emotion that most kids develop later.

So. What he did was atrocious and awful and wrong.

Also what he did does not necessarily reflect who is now. He should be judged by a different lens now. There's no harm in those who know him or know the piece of poop he's been in his life keeping a very close eye on him to alert others . . . but people DO grow up. Doing something stupid when you were a child shouldn't prevent you from making something of yourself as an adult.

Calling another kid the N word, specially one with a disability, is NOT a mistake. It is a bad kid.

What the kid did was not a mistake, it was thought out...
- bixll

Exactly what I said also Bix.

I get that he was a "kid", but decent kids don't behave that way. They didn't even behave that way 40 years ago.

Exactly what I said also Bix.

I get that he was a "kid", but decent kids don't behave that way. They didn't even behave that way 40 years ago.
- Aetherial

Oh, yes they did, man!

This means 'not decent' kids can't play hockey?

Well for what it's worth, if I had terrorized a disabled black kid FOR YEARS as a teenager, I would totally expect people to still call me out for it 5 years later.

Because I would feel like I deserve every little bit of it. And more.

But that's just me.
- Scabeh

Pretty sure this kid is nothing like you though.

Oh, yes they did, man!

This means 'not decent' kids can't play hockey?
- 21peter

naw, the crap this kid pulled wasn't done by decent kids.

Hey maybe he changed, I hope so. I doubt it though. There is something really (frank)ed up about a 14 year old, who absolutely knows better, doing stuff like this.

naw, the crap this kid pulled wasn't done by decent kids.

Hey maybe he changed, I hope so. I doubt it though. There is something really (frank)ed up about a 14 year old, who absolutely knows better, doing stuff like this.
- Aetherial

Nothing personal, man - but I'm amazed that so many of you 'good' posters seems to have a weird (imo) view about this subject. Y'all forgot how quite a few boys behaved at that age? None of you actually knew that a lot of those bullies had a rough time themselves - and that many of them grew up to be great guys? Feels awkward to give a life sentence to someone for being an a$$ in his youth...