"And I'm very proud of their president. He (Dr. John Slaughter) was on that (NCAA) committee and asked them not to do it 2 1/2 years ago. I'm proud of them because they don't have to do it. Georgetown's one of the most prestigious schools in this country, and they don't have a Prop 48 youngster.
"They don't have to go out and march and stand for a cause. Because they've always stood for a good cause, in representing all people in this world."
Under the new amendment to controversial Proposition 48, scheduled to go into effect in 1990-91, no scholarship can be awarded to an athlete for the first year of college who has not attained both a 2.0 grade-point average and the minimum 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (or 15 on the American College Test). Previously, athletic scholarships could be awarded if a recruit had achieved either of the two requirements as mandated by Proposition 48.
Thompson left the Capital Centre floor Saturday and went home just before his team took the floor to meet Boston College. Georgetown won, 86-60.
"I don't have any problem with what John did," said Chaney, who lost three freshmen to Proposition 48 this season and has been one of the nation's most outspoken critics of the ruling. "I was very proud of him, for him to take a stance when he didn't have to. He's already voiced his opinion, and so has his president. I've already done it, also. I think we're going to continue to be concerned about poor people.
"They say poor, somebody else says socioeconomic. When you're a mathematician, you add it up, and one and one equals two.
"When you find out it's beyond the stage of socioeconomic, and just poor, you then identify people by numbers. How many of the poor are black that they've discriminated against? Then it becomes racism in its highest form.
"The status quo can end up buying themselves out of such problems. But the status-low end up dying in it.
"John Thompson tried to make a statement. I don't think he's going to accomplish everything in the world by doing that. But I think every man must have some kind of dance to his own drumbeat. John has a dance, and I have one that's all mine. The one thing you can hope is that you can incorporate it with the fact that you're concerned about other people."
