Penn State’s defense is in a little bit of trouble now. And it’s not because the store is closed and they ain’t got no more Doritos in the house.
Tuesday night, police investigated a noise complaint at the apartment of four Penn State players, and detected a “strong smell of burning marijuana”. Hours later, a serach warrant was delivered and marijuana was confiscated from the apartment. Charges are being filed against some of the party-goers in attendance that night, but no further information about that is known at this time.
What IS known, though is that on Thursday, All-American defensive end Maurice Evans, starting defensive tackle Abe Koroma and tight end Andrew Quarless were suspended from the team for an unknown length. The trio have not been charged yet, but Penn State is not waiting for the results before suspending them. The three are also being subjected to drug testing to see how long the suspensions will last (or if expulsions are necessary).
To make matters worse at PSU, on Wednesday night cornerback Willie Harriott (allegedly) went out, got drunk, and got in a car. His DUI got him kicked off the team immediately.
Nittany Lion fans have been visibly upset since ESPN came into town over the summer to do a story about off-field incidents from out-of-control football players. ESPN reported that from 2002-2008, 46 players have been charged with crimes, totaling 163 separate counts, and they did an investigation into Penn State to find out why.
Joe Paterno called it a “witch-hunt”, and Lions fans attacked ESPN for what they called “journalism with an agenda”.
Tuesday and Wednesday’s incidents shift the question back. Maybe it’s not that ESPN had an agenda, but rather than Penn State has no control over their student-athletes.
But the real question is not who is to blame. The real question is “what the hell are these kids thinking?”
Because of these previous arrests and the ESPN reports, there is a MASSIVE spotlight on the football players at Penn State. Whether or not you think it’s fair, the players should have known enough about it to NOT have marijuana anywhere NEAR their apartment.
These kids get to play football in front of 110,000 screaming fans every weekend, and they get to go to a quality school for free. In exchange, all they have to do is work hard in class, work hard on the field, and stay out of trouble. Two out of three ain’t good enough.
Oregon State arrives this week to play the Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. PSU’s defense has some massive holes in it now because of this weekend’s festivities. Will a loss at home shake things up and make the rest of the team angry enough to stay out of trouble?
I sure hope so, because nothing else is.
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