He has admitted to doing it. That is clear. A 4 year old has no concept of moral right and wrong. Punishing them with a stick is not going to help their future development. To me, that is abuse.
I think it will be awesome to see them back outside- It will bring me back to the good old days from the 70's.
Some potential bad things about it:
1- Our defense is not built for the cold. We stink indoors, so outdoors wont miraculously cure our secondary. 2. The fans who are there in december ...