Long Snapper Busted, Safety and Linebacker Sent to St. Mary’s

Thanks Dr. Spock

My fears are becoming reality. Only three days since the release of the USA Today preseason poll, a key position player gets liquored up and pees on the wall of a bank. Elsewhere in the Classic City, a junior safety and freshman linebacker get roughed up in a bar and wind up in the ER. Maybe they were thinking the boys and girls at Athens-Clarke County would look the other way. After all, we’re number one right?

So here we are Dawg Nation. The eighth player arrested and jailed since returning from New Orleans – and he didn’t even get to make that trip because of a DUI in November of 2007. Two more, a junior and freshman, were involved in a bar-room brawl.

More signs that the latte drinking, Birkenstock wearing liberal agenda of compassionate understanding of our children in public schools is coming home to roost. In a time not so long ago, little league and middle and high coaches had the ability to put the fear of God into each and every player. If you screwed up, there would be hell to pay. No so anymore.

If a coach demands running stadium steps after screwing up in the classroom or on the field, he will be on “Live at Five” for child abuse. Today, every child should get a chance to be quarterback, regardless of the fact that the kid is 30 pounds overweight and the only thing he knows how to throw is a fit when he runs out of Cheetos. Slap a player on the helmet for not paying attention, get a battery charge and probably have to attend an ADD sensitivity training.

Back in the day, playing sports was a privilege and you damn well knew it. You also understood that you represented the school, the teams, the coaches, and the fans. Not so anymore. Far too many have consumed the “I’m OK, you’re OK” Kool-Aid. It’s all about Generation Me and No-Child Left Behind legislation.

I contend that the mold begins at home. My first job is to be a parent, not a buddy. If I do that job correctly, I have children that are accountable, and also my best friends.

With the popularity of single parenting, the schools are often the next line of defense. Teachers should be respected and they too should hold children accountable. Instead of teaching students accountability, our schools seem to be more caught up with fairness. Gifted children have to sit next to the Turrets poster child because segregating him off would not be fair and would hurt his self esteem. Your child failing? Probably the teacher's fault. That's okay, have the child moved to another class. Show your child that when they get that first asshole boss, they are entitled to move to a different one. That's how the world works right?

Don't get me wrong here. I think Coach Richt and his staff are doing all they can. The problems they are trying to correct have 18-21 year roots. They are habits developed at home and a result of outcome based education and entitlement society.

The first thought that came to my mind with the off-season No. 1 hype and the USA Today poll was this – Are these young men mature enough to rise to the occasion and demonstrate they have the talent on and off the field to be representative of that ranking? Three days later, three proved they aren’t.

What say you? Will this ranking be a curse or a blessing?