When Does Forgiveness Become Cliche?

A second chance. It's something that a lot of troubled athletes have muttered into a journalist's microphone over the years, though it seems more prevalent as of late. Whether it's nature, nurture, the pressure of the limelight, or just plain stupidity, professional athletes seem to break down sooner or later, and due to their public exposure, it's made out to be a lot worse than it sometimes is. This isn't true, of course, in serious legal cases involving murder, drugs, etc., a subject touched on in one of the first Black and Blue entries.

So when does forgiveness become cliche? Commissioners, presidents, and general managers of organizations seem to have temperamental memories. Some hold grudges, or so it seems, and some are very lenient in following their initial rulings of ineligibility and fines. For instance, David Stern, stuck to his namesake after the "Malice at the Palace," when he banned Ron Artest an entire season for his actions in the brawl. He's normally one of the more strict bosses in professional sports, along with Roger Goodell. Goodell though, has been known to have a soft spot, reinstating Michael Vick after his initial ban from the NFL after "good behavior," but suspending players like Adam Jones, despite no charges sticking.

So enough rambling, the subject was brought out by a recent reinstatement of former, and now re-signed UFC welterweight Karo Parisyan. The 28 year old Armenian Judoka was released from the UFC and damned by the hands of Dana White via Twitter, after pulling out of his second fight in a year within two days of the fight. Last week, news came through multiple MMA news outfits, that Dana White and Karo had made amends, and following his July victory over Ben Mortimer at Impact FC 1, signed a new three-fight deal with the UFC. So after White's tweet:

"Karo Parisyan has (expletive) over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!"

He has allowed the talented, yet troubled fighter back into the UFC to face Dennis Hallman at UFC 123 in Detroit.

It's not as if the UFC welterweight division was in shambles, nor does a fighter of Parisyan's caliber really spice up the pot. So a president who wears his heart on his sleeve, with his emotions sewn into said sleeve has gone back on his normally "iron-clad" word. In previous instances he has held complete grudges over fighters like Matt Lindland over much less, like sponsorship disputes. What happened to his ban? Did he swallow his pride? Did he see something that the MMA viewership didn't? Is Karo dedicated and off of pain killers?

So it just begs the question, at what point are powerful figures in sports finally driven to go back on their decisions? Will the public accept their new stance? There doesn't seem to be a general consensus amongst MMA fans with White's decision to allow Parisyan back into the UFC. A lot of fans are skeptical of his dedication to the sport and professionalism, while others are excited to see him compete again at the highest level.

A new poll has been posted on the side bar asking about your thoughts. Vote!