When Loren Wade allegedly shot and killed Brandon Falkner last March, it took everyone by surprise.
Questions immediately arose as to what could have been done to prevent the shooting. But ultimately, that responsibility rested with Wade himself.
Falkner's father, B. Lee Falkner, filed a lawsuit almost a year after the shooting arguing that ASU's athletic department had overlooked Wade's violent tendencies because of the running back's talent.
The excuses given in response to the new lawsuit by the department thus far have essentially been that coaches can't be expected to look after all their players all the time.
The shooting occurred after Wade allegedly saw his girlfriend standing at Falkner's car outside a Scottsdale nightclub.
But this response doesn't exactly acknowledge the information that coach Dirk Koetter had access to.
According to the testimony of former teammates and ex-girlfriends, Wade had a history of violence.
Perhaps ASU's coaches could have done more to discipline Wade when they heard about such incidents. But does that mean the athletic department should be held responsible for Wade's alleged actions?
Consider the implications if the idea that authority figures are responsible for the actions of those they are mentoring was found to be true.
If ASU is held responsible for Falkner's death, should Wade's teachers also have been held responsible for not finding out more about their pupil's extracurricular habits and grading him accordingly?
Wade's friends would certainly have heard the same stories or could have witnessed his alleged violent streak themselves.
If the athletic department is held accountable, should we also hold Wade's friends accountable for not exerting more pressure on their friend to enter into counseling or seek help with anger management?
Or, in other trials, should we fault the defendants' employers for not performing more thorough background checks, or for ignoring their employees' personal lives?
The pain Brandon Falkner's father must be feeling over losing a son is not something to be taken lightly.
It's certainly understandable that such a sudden, violent loss could lead anyone to look for an authority figure to hold accountable.
This is one case, however, where a portrait of the negligent parties cannot be drawn in black and white.
