Truth telling, Warfare, Ethics, and Butch

Been thinking through the ethics of truth telling recently, as we're going through Rahab and the Hebrew spies right now in the Bible study I lead. Last night Hyams was quite peeved at the Worley announcement and says he was lied to multiple times by UT administration. So was Butch (we'll just put this on him) morally wrong if he lied about Worley's injury status in order to deceive opponents? What if he didn't lie but told truths in a deceptive way? If you're a Christian, is this a sin? If you're not a Christian, was it unethical (and what is your ethical standard)? Or is deception/lying acceptable in this case?

I perfectly understand that this happens all the time. I'm just curious as to what y'all think about it. Also, I am not too interested in this becoming a debate about the nature of biblical authorship and revelation but am curious to hear how non-Christians develop their ethical system.

 

Much like war, in sports there are times when it is completely appropriate to tell bold face lies. Is it lying to run a play-action pass? You are attempting to deceive via actions what you are really doing. It is no different pre-game with the status of players, etc. As long as you are not keeping Worley from surgery just to prolong the ruse, it is OK.

Oh, and Jimmy Hyams needs to get off of his journalist high horse. His investigating for the last 15 years has been to call the AD and ask them the question and take it as Gospel. That is not doing journalistic work.

 

Hippa

 

In this case, though, if you are hiding behind HIPPA you simply say "we cannot comment on players health". Butch was trotting the report out there that Worley was working out with the team and they were going to see if he could go Saturday knowing full well his labrum was torn and he wasn't getting back on the field again.

 

I might argue that running Worley out there for 7 games was morally wrong

 

Hippa sorta

 

That could constitute as abuse. Of the fanbase.

 

Now we get down the meat of it.

 

This is Hyams being a jack ass. They knew it was serious on the way home from Oxford. People all around the program knew he was most likely done.

The sports media think that asking the SID a question constitutes reporting

 

The Vols will not be wearing black jerseys Saturday night...

I agree with Justin. Hyams is late in many cases to the party and when he's scooped, he's a whiner.

 

Legit LOL at this.

 

If I'm being completely honest here I would say that it doesn't bother me in the least for the media to get false or mixed reports from any agent of a football program. I hold the media in low regard.

 

My favorite was Lane Kiffin will not be the head coach at Tennessee as they're preparing the media room to announce Lane Kiffin as head coach

 

What reporter in his right mind thinks the AD is going to tell you the truth? Thank God he doesn't cover politics.

"Senator, did you sleep with your secretary while smoking crack and short selling your wife's stocks?"

"Uhhmmm....no?"

"Thanks, Senator."

 

These media guys allegedly knew all the BS Doofus was up to behind the scenes and didn't feel the need to report it until after the fact. I'd ask them about that.

 

Also, please forgive me for the negative recruiting impact we'll see from even bringing this up.

 

In the context of a recreational game, where it is customary to do so, there is nothing unethical about the lie. The only things it effects are to the sport itself, and it is even referred to as "gamesmanship." The same way that bluffing isn't unethical, neither is this.

Now, retaining Marlin Lane on the team is unethical. A track coach running off students in the middle of the semester who did nothing wrong is unethical.

 

It's worth noting that while The Bible seems to view lying negatively (Satan is the Father of Lies), the most commonly-cited prohibition isn't against lying per se but is against lying in a particular legal context ("bear false witness against thy neighbor")

 

Lane wasn't part of the team until he was cleared.

 

What is the point of trying to trick teams into preparing for Worley? Any team not coached by Botch and company will not be fooled.