I love college football. I really do.
Waking up to watch College Gameday and spending the afternoon watching football with my dad are some of the best memories I have from my childhood.
Maybe it’s the love of the sport that compels me to write this. Over the years, I’ve noticed something. There’s something wrong with college football.
Maybe it’s always been like this and it’s just becoming more apparent now that I’m older. But too many student-athletes are getting arrested.
I know Division I athletes are subject to more attention than your average Joe, and rightfully so. They are in the public eye, and they represent something bigger than themselves. They represent their community, their university, their team, etc. Perhaps it’s unfair, but it goes with the territory.
With all that said, things are getting a little out of hand.
As of Aug. 8, there have been 62 Division I football players arrested since the beginning of 2014, according to Arrest Nation. Of the 62 arrests, 23 were in connection to violent crimes.
New Mexico’s projected starting running back Crusoe Gongbay, senior cornerback SaQwan Edwards and a former UNM student allegedly kidnapped a girl at a university parking lot in April and forced her to perform oral sex before raping her. After Gongbay and Edwards were dropped off, the other accomplice held a gun to the girl’s head, forcing her to perform oral sex on him again.
Incoming Texas Tech freshman Nigel Bethel was initially dismissed from the program for punching women’s basketball player Amber Battle in the face during a pick-up basketball game. The force from Bethel’s blow was so strong that it reportedly broke a bone in Battle’s face, causing the Red Raiders basketball player to undergo surgery.
Lubbock attorney Tray Payne claimed that the grand jury found that there was no “evidence to substantiate assault nor probable cause to pursue charges.” The grand jury then wrote a letter specifically asking for Bethel’s reinstatement.
A day after the surveillance video of Bethel dropping Battle surfaced, he was readmitted to the program and practicing with the team before too long.
Bethel’s punishment? A three-game suspension. He will miss key games against UTEP, Arkansas and perennial powerhouse Central Arkansas.
Don’t worry; he’ll be back in time for Oklahoma State week four.
Then there’s Oklahoma freshman running back Joe Mixon, who is being investigated in connection with an alleged aggravated assault charge.
The alleged victim Amelia Molitor told The Oklahoman that Mixon punched her, breaking her face in four places and also said that Mixon had been harassing her friends.
That lands Oklahoma in some pretty hot water, especially after they welcomed troubled wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham with open arms after he was dismissed from Missouri’s program.
What did Green-Beckham do? Just allegedly broke into an apartment and threw a woman down a flight of stairs. In the transcript of the text messages sent and received by the victim, it is clear that the thing preventing her from pressing charges is the fear of backlash against her.
Now it is being reported that Oklahoma is “very confident” that Green-Beckham will be approved for immediate eligibility after filing a run-off waiver—a waiver meant to protect players from circumstances beyond their control.
So, really no punishment for Green-Beckham. Yes, he has to switch schools, but barring significant injury, he will likely be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Things aren’t much better in the NFL right now. We’ve all seen the Ray Rice video. Personally, I felt duped. Rice was one of the players who was always in the news for trying to make his community a better place. His admirable stance against bullying now seems like smoke and mirrors, and it’s going to take a long time for him to rebuild that trust, unfortunately.
If you take nothing else away from this, take this. Student-athletes need to be held personally accountable. Only a very, very small amount in the grand scheme of NCAA athletes actually get in trouble. Still, it only takes one bad decision to give your program a black eye.
And, depending on how your athletic program handles the situation, you could have two.