RW
Retired Champ
Joined: August-30-2003
Location: United States
Posts: 5661
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| Posted: November-12-2009 at 11:11pm | IP Logged
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Geez, what's the deal with these three stupid University of Tennessee football players? C'mon, any athlete recruited to play top-division college football at a recognized program, it's a given you've got great talent. But you've got to have more than talent to succeed. First and foremost, you've got to show you've got good common sense and "know how to act."
These days, unfortunately, we're seeing more-and-more incidents of young athletes off attending college get into trouble. And the overwhelming majority of those getting into trouble are black athletes. I really hate bringing race into this deal, but look at the UT athletes involved and they're all black. Wonder if the Rev.'s Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will be making an appearance in Knoxville saying these minority athletes are wrongly being charged?
It's not just at UT where athletes are getting into trouble, we're seeing it happening entirely too often these days at colleges all over the country.
Look recently at the University of Connecticut, where a college football player was stabbed and killed, while attending a party. He was black, killed by black(s). The deal last night in Knoxville, and at other learning institutions around the country, is it a reflection of lack discipline with these young athletes while they were growing up ... having no parental or guardian control?
These three UT footbally players, they were highly recruited. Both Nu'Keese Richardson and Janzen Jackson were top-25 recruits at their position coming out of high school, and Mike Edwards was being groomed as the heir apparent to Eric Berry. Future National Football League status was possibly in the cards for these guys. What's in the cards now will probably be playing on the prison ball-team. Well, Jackson is saying he's innocent. And, all arrested are assumed to be innocent until convicted in a court of law.
What's really amazing is, why were these football players out at 2 a.m.??? Let's follow their day: Supposedly they had gotten out of bed early Wednesday morning to attend classes, followed by an afternoon of football practice. Probably watching some film following practice, too. Next up supper from the training table, and one would assume then they would go to their apartment to either study getting ready for classes the next day, or just crashing in bed worn-out from their day of school and ball practice. But nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, these stupid knuckleheads were out partying.
Jackson was suspended from last week's Memphis game, allegedly for failing a positive drug test for marijuana. Athletes know they're going to be tested for drugs, so puh-lee-zzzzzzzzz ... someone tell me why a scholarship athlete would risk losing everything by being involved with drugs?
Oh yeah, these dumbazzes were really gangsta's. They used a pellet-pistol and hopped in a Toyota Prius for their getaway car.
I don't blame Lane Kiffin or any college coach for trouble their athletes get into. Coaches are not 24/7 babysitters. The student athletes are first and foremost supposed to be students, who happen to be good athletes that enabled them to get scholarships to attend college. Let's see, they're getting education paid for, while receiving room and board. Add up the cost of a four-year education (tuition and books), factored in with the perks of room and board (place to live and meals provided).
I listened to local sports-talk radio yesterday to callers commenting about the arrests of the UT football players, and last night while driving home from Bristol I listened to ESPN sports-talk radio, and the hosts were talking about the deal in Knoxville.
I believe in people receiving second chances, but with instances like what's happened in Knoxville ... I'm not so sure they deserve a second chance. They're scholarship athletes, and I believe they should be held to higher standards than say, a regular student. By that I mean, these athletes are getting everything paid for. If they screw up once, there's no second chance.
Everybody who knows me, know "My Blood Runneth Big Orange!" But I have no sympathy whatsoever for athletes who screw up.
Oh, get this ... I heard/read comments from the guys who were allegedly robbed, and they don't want the athletes prosecuted. The one alleged victim said, "They're good football players. The team needs them." Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh??? Throw the book at them, and if they're found guilty ... lock 'em up and throw the keys away. Whether or not the players will be found guilty, the bottom line is ... they're nutthin' but thuggy brotha's. No decent, law-abiding person even considers the thought of robbing or doing harm to another individual ... whether the color of one's skin is black or white.
One other thing: This is not just a problem with University of Tennessee athletes. Look around everyday and you'll see college athletes all across the United States getting in trouble.
C'mon "BugMan" and "Robbie Henry" and others, I wanna hear from you guys.
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3 Tennessee players named in armed robbery attempt
By Beth Rucker, Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Three freshmen Tennessee football players, including highly touted wide receiver recruit Nu’Keese Richardson and starting safety Janzen Jackson, were charged with attempted armed robbery Thursday morning.
Richardson, 18, and Jackson, 18, along with defensive back Mike Edwards, 18, and companion Marie Montmarquet, 22, were each charged with three counts of attempted armed robbery in connection with an incident at a gas station in an area known as “The Strip” at the edge of Tennessee’s campus.
Richardson was being held Thursday afternoon on a $19,500 bond. Edwards was released on a $19,500 bond and Jackson was released on his own recognizance.
“Mr. Jackson vehemently asserts his innocence, and we hope that this will become apparent in the next 24 to 48 hours,” Jackson’s attorney Don Bosch said in a statement. It was not immediately known if Richardson and Edwards had attorneys.
The three players are the first arrested during the tenure of first-year coach Lane Kiffin, who on Thursday said he would not make any comment on the situation until he knew more. Kiffin’s predecessor, Phillip Fulmer, was often criticized for being too lax on a number of his players who had discipline problems.
“We’re gathering all the information so we don’t know exactly what happened. Unfortunately there was an incident. We made it 11 months and 11 days without (any incidents). We’ll deal with the information as it comes in,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin also declined to say if he had spoken with any of the players or what kind of discipline they might be facing. He also refused to comment on how the incident would affect the Volunteers as they prepare to travel to Mississippi on Saturday.
The three victims told police they were sitting in their parked vehicle just before 2 a.m. Thursday at a gas station near Tennessee’s campus when two males dressed in hooded jackets, one brandishing a handgun, approached and demanded, “Give us everything you’ve got.”
“The victims stated that they all presented their wallets to the suspects and showed them that they did not have money,” the police report said. “The victims stated that a third black male then approached and told the other two black males, ‘We’ve got to go.”’
The three suspects were seen leaving in a Toyota Prius, and police pulled over a vehicle matching the description nearby. Police spotted a pellet gun and hooded jackets and later found drug paraphernalia and a bag of what appeared to be marijuana.
Police say Montmarquet told them the drug paraphernalia and substance belonged to her and she was charged with simple possession.
The victims identified Richardson and Edwards as the men who approached their vehicle.
The incident happened at a gas station operated by Pilot, a company founded by former Tennessee football player and longtime booster Jim Haslam. Tennessee’s outdoor football practice field is named Haslam Field in his honor.
Richardson, a highly touted recruit from Pahokee, Fla., originally committed to Florida but switched to Tennessee after being recruited by coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin joked in a February recruiting celebration that Florida coach Urban Meyer cheated in trying to keep Richardson as a Gator, earning Kiffin a reprimand from the Southeastern Conference.
Richardson had told Kiffin recently he was frustrated with his lack of production but scored his first touchdown in a 56-28 win over Memphis on Saturday. He’s had six catches this season for 58 yards and served as a punt return specialist.
Edwards, a Cleveland, Ohio, native has played in eight games this season and registered five tackles.
Jackson, a Lake Charles, La., native, has started seven games this season, logging 33 tackles and a forced fumble. He was suspended for the Memphis game, a week after he was named SEC freshman of the week for a strong performance against South Carolina.
Neither Jackson nor Kiffin would say why he was suspended, but Jackson said after Wednesday afternoon’s practice that losing playing time would discourage him from making poor decisions off the playing field.
“It kind of felt like being injured and watching your team play … it kind of had the same feeling, but to know it was my fault, so it kind of feels a little bit worse,” Jackson said. “It’s in the past now, and I’m back to work.”
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RW
Retired Champ
Joined: August-30-2003
Location: United States
Posts: 5661
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| Posted: November-18-2009 at 10:45pm | IP Logged
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Robbie and Scott, it really does show the football players had no clue the Haslam family owns Pilot Oil Co. But then again, I seriously doubt it would've made any difference.
I'd say those arrested were like the majority of athletes' today; they've been told by everybody since they first showed signs they had "what it takes" to be a top-notch athlete just how great they are. Their athletic exploits got them through junior high and high school.
What gets me is, one would think everyone involved knew their actions were breaking the law?
I'm sure just as you guys have read a lot about the goings-on in Knoxville, I have read a good bit and listened to sports-talk radio and callers giving their opinions/thoughts.
As I said up above in the beginning: What's really amazing is, why were these football players out at 2 a.m.??? Let's follow their day: Supposedly they had gotten out of bed early Wednesday morning to attend classes, followed by an afternoon of football practice. Probably watching some film following practice, too. Next up supper from the training table, and one would assume then they would go to their apartment to either study getting ready for classes the next day, or just crashing in bed worn-out from their day of school and ball practice. But nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, these stupid knuckleheads were out partying.
Hey David, I'm with you regarding Duke basketball. Of course I'd pull for the UT Vols to beat Duke if they played, but all other games for Duke I pull for the Blue Devils. The other night, I called a buddy of mine and asked if he was watching any of the Duke game. I said, "Look on the court, they've got five white boys." HA HA HA HA
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