Do Evil Means Justify Good Ends?

I recently watched an incredible and shocking HBO documentary called The Scheme. It documents the FBI’s investigation into an alleged recruiting scandal involving Chris Dawkins and the payment of players and coaches in the recruiting of NCAA basketball players. One of the coaches involved was LSU’s head basketball coach Will Wade.

Wade’s involvement was first exposed in early March of 2019 when a partial transcript of an FBI wiretap of a conversation between Wade and Chris Dawkins surfaced during Dawkins’ trial. The prosecutor in the case had unsuccessfully attempted to get the tape admitted as evidence. However, a limited transcript of the tape was leaked to the press. The transcript revealed Wade discussing what appeared to be a payment arrangement related to the recruitment of LSU recruit, and eventual starting basketball player, Javonte Smart.

Will Wade was subsequently suspended by LSU pending an internal investigation. Wade then refused a request to meet with LSU President F. King Alexander and Athletic Director Joe Alleva to answer questions surrounding the matter. 

Wade’s suspension came at a pivotal moment in the season as LSU had just wrapped up the season as SEC regular season champions and were headed to the SEC and NCAA tournaments as a top seed. Wade’s suspension lasted through the NCAA tournament, where under assistant coach Tony Benford the team made it to the sweet 16 round where they lost to Michigan State.

In late April of 2019, Wade finally did meet with LSU officials and then denied that he had any involvement with Chris Dawkins or any other unethical actions surrounding the recruitment of Javonte Smart. He was then reinstated as LSU’s head basketball coach.

The following is an excerpt from the expletive filled transcript of the taped conversation and a link to the actual audio from The Scheme:

Wade: “We could compensate him better than the [NBA] rookie minimum”

Dawkins: “You are probably right about that.”

Wade: “We’d give him more than the [NBA] D-League.”

Wade: “I was thinking last night on this Smart (Javonte Smart) thing, I’ll be honest with you, I’m f——-g tired of dealing with this thing. Like, I’m tired of dealing with this f——-g shit. What do you think? ‘Cause I went to him with a strong ass offer about a month ago. F——g strong. Now, the problem was, I know why he didn’t take it now, it was tilted toward the family a little bit. But I mean, it was a f——-g hell of an offer. Like, a hell of an offer. Especially for a kid that’s going to be a two- or three-year kid. I’ve made deals for as good a players as him that were a lot simpler than this.”

Hearing the Will Wade audio, compared to reading a quote.

Does it make a difference to you?

Via: HBO #TheScheme pic.twitter.com/7kgESLALZ5

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) April 1, 2020

Let me first say that as an LSU graduate I am a diehard fan of all LSU sports. I bleed purple and gold as much as the next fan and I have the skin on the wall in the form of my LSU diploma to prove it. However, I’m very disturbed at the inaction taken by LSU and the defense presented by many LSU supporters.

For instance, I’ve heard many defend Wade’s and LSU’s behavior by saying that “everyone else does it” and “this is the way it works” so why not? Why should our team be disadvantaged by not following the rest of the NCAA? In other words, they are using the philosophy of “the end justifies the means” to justify the outcome which is a basketball team that produces success on the court. 

Others in defense have said that it was unethical but not illegal. After all, it is only a violation of the rules as set forth by the NCAA. This is even a more insidious form of the end justifies the means where the means is actually justified because it’s not codified in law, only rules of the organization under which they operate. Forget about moral and ethical norms. As long as it isn’t illegal then go for it, right?

This line of thinking is pervasive in our society as a whole. How much evil is justified because it is done in the name of something that an individual, organization or society thinks is ultimately good? For instance, how many self-professed Christian politicians, who are pro-choice, justify their tolerance of this horrific sin by saying its legal so it must be ok?

“How much evil is justified because it is done in the name of something that an individual, organization or society thinks is ultimately good?”

As I often do with most of these situations, I began thinking about this problem from a biblical perspective. How did Jesus view the concept of any means justifying a worldly end?

My conclusion is that Jesus was way more concerned about the means than any end the world considers worthy. We can see by His teachings, and the example of His life, that the means and the way we conduct our lives are way more important than achieving any “good” end we can conceive. Indeed, Jesus talked about the importance of this when he said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:26)

Another example of this can be seen in Matthew 4:8-11, which recounts how Satan took Jesus on the mountain top and told him that all of the world’s kingdoms could be his if he bowed down to him. Think about it. If the world’s view of a good end was the most important thing then why didn’t Jesus take his offer? Why go through all of the travails of his ministry on earth, including the pain and suffering on the cross? Imagine the good that Jesus could have done if he took control of all the earth’s kingdom’s on that day. In the view of the world, wouldn’t this have been a wonderful thing for Jesus to commit the evil of worshipping Satan for a seemingly good and less painful outcome in the short run? Of course, Jesus knew that the ultimate good of His kingdom depended on the means of His suffering and crucifixion for our sins on Calvary.

This brings us to another very important consideration in the equation of any means for a good end. Is God’s definition of a good end the same as the world’s? You see, we have to differentiate between what the world considers a good end and what God considers a good end. To us, prosperity, wealth, health, and having every material thing we want in life is a good end. The success of our favorite sports team is a good end. However, are these things important to God? Are these the things we are to commit immorality to attain or achieve? No. As fallen creatures we must, with the help of the Holy Spirit, try to do the right thing in all situations regardless of the outcome we desire. 

However, as followers of Christ, this should not bring us sadness for the earthly things we desire but cannot have. For we must also remember the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:28 when he says, “ And we know in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called to HIS purpose”. Are not God’s purposes more important than our own? Moreover, could our conception of ultimate good be superior to God’s? The answer of course is no.

For we must also remember the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:28 when he says, “ And we know in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called to HIS purpose”.

So how should we as followers of Christ view this situation? We tell our children that “two wrongs don’t make a right” and that cheating is always wrong even if it benefits them in the short run. Can we then turn around and qualify these statements by saying that these only apply in certain situations? Did Jesus ever qualify any of his statements? For instance, when Jesus said to “love others as we love ourselves” there was a period after the statement. He did not say “love others as we love ourselves unless they are drug addicts” or some other condition. There are no conditions on the moral means which we are called to use to achieve the goals of His kingdom regardless of how the world views that end.

In light of this, I believe that LSU needs to do the right thing and part ways with Will Wade. The immediate outcome may be considered bad by the fans and the school. However, LSU will set an example for other programs by doing the right thing in a world that usually does the opposite for convenience and short term gain. More importantly, this will set an example for LSU students as well by showing the school’s commitment to honesty and integrity. After all, can the university really penalize students who cheat when they condone the actions of one of its own employees who knowingly cheats the system and then lies about it? Can the university really hold the students to a higher standard than its own employees?

My hope is that my alma mater will do the right thing by living up to the challenge faced by all of us to always do the right thing in spite of worldly consequences or worldly ends. In doing so, we can then truly all be proud to say…….. GEAUX TIGERS.