Rewards Outweigh Risks For Sooners In Green-Beckham Addition

There are risks involved in any decision, but with the addition of Dorial Green-Beckham to the Oklahoma football team, the risks aren't as bad as you may think.

Green-Beckham was dismissed from Missouri in April after allegedly shoving a female down a staircase at an apartment complex in Columbia. He was also arrested a couple of times for marijuana possession and the Tigers found it in their best interest to simply cut ties.

It would appear DGB is a huge character risk and it's very unlike coach Bob Stoops to take a chance on people he knows aren't the most upstanding citizens. Granted, there is some risk for the Sooners here, as Green-Beckham could have more incidents in Norman and continue to be a problem. Some reports have indicated Green-Beckham is on a "zero-tolerance" policy, but that may not be enough if the incidents at Missouri show the truth about his character.

However, there's plenty of reason to believe these are isolated problems and a product of the environment. After all, Stoops doesn't take risks on players he believes to have faulty character. Normally, he refrains from even recruiting them.

The Sooners were very much in the race for DGB when he was being recruited, making his final five options. If the incidents at Missouri were a true indication of Green-Beckham's character, it's likely the Sooners wouldn't have recruited him in the first place—at least, not very hard. Plus, there is no record of Green-Beckham having problems like this when he was in high school.

There are risks with this addition, but the potential rewards could be far greater. DGB is one of the best wide receivers in the country and the addition of his experience to the OU offense would be a huge boost for a receiving corps that lacks it, and for a quarterback with one impressive performance under his belt.

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There are reports the Sooners will apply for a waiver to make DGB eligible immediately, instead of in 2015. Oklahoma State may have provided the grounds for the Sooners to do just that, as LSU transfer point guard Anthony Hickey is eligible for the 2014-15 basketball season after being dismissed from the LSU basketball program.

When—or if—DGB plays in Norman remains to be seen, but if the Sooners can help him get his life back in order, it's a huge boost for a program already on the precipice of a return to the national elite.