Bishops are there to help people make things right with God. They are not, and should not be, disciplinarians of collegiate athletic involvement.

The ecclesiastic endorsement is a bare minimum requirement and is often granted conditionally as kids continue to work on issues. This is very different from whether or not someone should be allowed to represent the university as an athlete. That should be up to the university. To put that back on already overworked bishops is wrong. I'm not arguing the HC office is flawless by any means, but I see the point of it and am strongly against putting that back on bishops and stake presidents.

As a former player at BYU, I have seen firsthand some of the pros and cons of the HC office. Yes, it is overblown sometimes and some things probably need some changing. More than anyone ever sees, though, they work with the kid to right his/her life and it's done in a respectful, loving way. THAT'S why someone would want to work in the HC office. Most of the work they do is rewarding and life-changing for individuals who accept the help. All most fans ever hear about, though, is the cruddy situations that went public and poorly. Making judgments of anyone or anything based only off the worst examples is a fools game.

There are unfortunate circumstances, yes, but most of the time I think of the great line from the movie "Liar, Liar". When Jim Carrey can't lie and his client asks him what he should do, Carrey responds "Quit breaking the law, *******!" At the end of the day, we can blame the HC office all we want, but holding someone accountable for their actions is often the loving thing to do, even if it's hard and hurts immediately.