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...that I think it is an unfortunate position you've stated there...and I don't mean that with disrespect. I think it's a sign of too much jade in your ink if you refuse to give a man an honest chance to show you who he is simply because you don't want to be seen as playing to the suckers in the crowd who want a redemption story.
There are a great number of notable reasons why not one of your examples of people who shouldn't be given second chances are appropriate points of comparison.
First and foremost...not one of your examples in baseball expressed actual remorse for their crimes against the game. Pete Rose would get into the HOF *tomorrow* if he simply said "I admit my gambling was wrong and I am greatly sorry for how I treated the sport that I loved." Barry Bonds gets no second chances because he denies the perfectly obvious. The same will be true of Roger Clemens. Shoeless Joe has a huge segment of the population who want him reinstated and enshrined, but he gets no such hearing because he never admitted to wrongdoing.
Josh Lueke did.
For another...it is far...FAR...from clear that what Josh Lueke did was entirely his fault. The girl...if you did your homework on the victim involved...is not a reliable witness. The prosecution offered Lueke a deal because they knew they HAD NO CASE. Two drunken morons with BAC way...way too high to act rationally had sex...one of them regretted it the next morning, though admits she can't remember ANYTHING! And you are treating Lueke as though he is...above all question...an evil, unrepentent sex offender.
And while you take no time to question that...you do take lots of time in your articles to mention details like the victim's trouble sleeping in the dark and her required therapy.
Two young kids both acting incredibly stupid. One of them suffers the emotional consequences...the other takes a plea to avoid spending any more time in jail while awaiting his trial and then not a soul will give him a chance to prove that he's grown up. I think that stinks. And I think it's pretty sad that members of the press are this badly jaded that they can't give a fair and balanced portrayal of a story from all angles.