The Long Snapper (7/12/10)
The countdowns have been there for quite some time, but it’s time to start seriously paying attention. The college football pages of the major sports sites will be more active. Most of the stories will be positive. Ones about the upcoming season and what to expect. Things like that. Some won’t be so great though. This is also the time of year athletes get bored and sometimes find themselves involved in the wrong kind of extracurricular activities. While I was away enjoying everything wonderful that comes along with going on a vacation, two SEC programs found themselves in a heap of trouble (more on both below). Definitely not the type of news you want to hear as we race toward the start of a new season. Florida even had its hand in the cookie jar. Secondary violations for improper use of Facebook. We are definitely in the technology age if schools are violating recruiting rules by utilizing social networking. It’s probably best for schools just to stay away from those things.
There are a number of ways to end a college football career prematurely. Leaving early for the NFL is probably the best way to ensure one’s future. You know, assuming the individual becomes a high draft pick. Injury is an unfortunate way to have a career stop dead in its tracks. But if you want to go out with a bang, assaulting a police officer and resisting and evading arrest is definitely the way to go. Not sure if I completely understand attempting to resist arrest. More often than not you’ll get caught. Even the Barefoot Bandit ended up behind bars. Darren Myles Jr. has plenty of time to think about why he attempted to evade police after assaulting an office now that he doesn’t have football to worry about. The sophomore safety has been dismissed from the Tennessee football team after being arrested after his involvement after an altercation in a bar. Freshman wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers was also arrested and several others are rumored to have been involved. Two of the “several” – sophomores Greg King and Marlon Walls – have been suspended. I’d imagine Derek Dooley isn’t the most pleasant guy to be around right about now. Altercations with the police aren’t something you welcome as you try to bring a once proud program back to prominence. Dooley doesn’t have an easy road ahead.
Georgia will be missing some players as well when the season starts. Mark Richt handed out suspensions to Dontavius Jackson and Tavarres King due to alcohol issues. Jackson was charged with driving under the influence and then he added leaving the scene of an accident for good measure. Just a piece of advice kids: never leave the scene of an accident. Nothing good comes from it. If you’re at fault, wait around and take what comes to you. The backup running back may not be missed too much. Jackson carried the ball a total of three times in 2009. King on the other hand was expected to make an impact. He only caught 18 balls last season, but averaged over 20 yards per catch. The wide receiver’s charge was a little less coming in at underage possession of alcohol. King will probably only miss one game while Jackson will be suspended for at least six. Suspensions for idiotic behavior are never good, but you definitely don’t want them coming so close to the season right when your favorite team is gearing up for a new year. All those preseason predictions go out the window when your team’s lineup may not be what was expected.
Not to be outdone, the ACC had a team get into the mix too. UNC linebacker Quan Sturdivant (I liked him better when he went by Quantavious) was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. Sturdivant was expected to be a leader of the Tar Heel defense in 2010 and probably still will be. It remains to be seen how long Butch Davis will suspend his leading returning tackler for, but odds are it won’t be long. It might not be at all considering UNC opens the season against LSU. Gator fans will remember Sturdivant for more than just his name. He wanted to be part of Florida’s 2007 recruiting class and went as far as trying to commit. The coaching staff wouldn’t accept his commitment though. They had other linebackers in their plans. Sturdivant ended up becoming quite a player before his arrest. The linebacker Florida took over him – John Jones – has since transferred.