I have a few serious thoughts that I have discussed with some community/committee members. I hope I am not over stepping my bounds with this post.
We all agree he needs a ban. However, Rick came forward in order to take a ban and play legit. This backfired on Rick as he was not expecting a 1024 day ban. A 256 day ban is the max the committee could expect anyone to actually wait to play. Either they will evade, or leave the game. I am in no way saying this is what Rick plans to do, I am stating what many would do with a hefty ban.
What I propose is a reduced ban of 128 with a community service. This community service could include making models for jits, finishing abandoned maps, etc, which Rick has the skill to do. Like a real crime and punishment scenario, there are ways to cut down prison time for cooperation. Use that model for his ban and I think this may be a reasonable compromise. The community is obviously on both sides of the ban. There are some who agree with the ban time and some voicing support for a lowered ban time. This is apparent in the 4 page thread in 2-3 days.
I find the proposed suggestion of reduced time for community service very reasonable. Four months is a long time to wait and a lot of free time to contribute to the game in a positive way. I don't see how anyone can claim they want the game to thrive and still want a capable and willing member to leave the game forever, instead of taking a substantial punishment and making a substantial contribution to the game.
I would hope the direction of the thread would change at this point, to a more constructive thread.