Bravo, Coach Saban

On my homepage I have a little widget that gives me headline feeds pertaining to NCAA football, usually about 10 at a time. One day last week all but one of them had something to do with college football players being arrested -- lots of programs from all over the country were affected.

It made me so sick I was gonna blog about it, but got busy.

Well, this morning I saw a headline that one of our key players, Jimmy Johns, was arrested on charges including cocaine trafficking. My stomach did a roll, because although the University issued a statement pretty quickly there was initially no word from Coach Saban.

I was very glad to get home this afternoon and find this article posted. I had spent the afternoon (when I wasn't busy actually doing anything) gettin' all worked up that somehow we were gonna hear words like "due process before making any decisions," so BRAVO, Coach Saban, for doing the right thing for the University of Alabama, for Johns' teammates who are doin' the right stuff the right way, and for not being afraid to sacrifice something on the field for something infinitely more importantly -- the integrity of a program that doesn't need another hit, and for sending a message that you don't get to do this kind of thing and then continue on your merry way just because you are talented. If he has to do this more often -- and for even less --I will continue to cheer him on, and holler ROLL TIDE at the top of my lungs, no matter how our season plays out.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for due process. I'm all for presuming a person innocent until they are proven guilty, and I'm all for that whole "benefit of the doubt thing," but when a guy with the whole world at his fingertips who has a FREE RIDE to a college education and TOTAL ACCESS to some of the most connected people in business and industry afterwards sells cocaine multiple times to undercover officers and has an apartment loaded with his inventory, I believe "due process" is pretty much unnecessary -- at least in terms of his standing with any university.

I am not getting crochety in my old age. I am just pure-tee fed up with the whole entitlement thing, and I'm proud of Saban and other coaches across the country who are facing similar situations who are doing the right thing.

I'd rather support a team that plays with guys who appreciate the gift God has given them, the opportunities their prowess has provided them to break out of a life that could have been far bleaker -- even if that means they may not get to the title game -- than be embarrassed to cheer for a team loaded with guys who have to get clearance from a judge to travel to that game.