Seriously? Armed Robbery?
Seriously? Armed Robbery?
I am not too far removed from being 18 years old. Well, it was within the last decade. I understand that 18 year old guys are going to do really stupid things, especially when given the freedom for the first time that a freshman year at college will provide. While I don't approve of wild parties or underage drinking or recreational drug use I can at least understand why a rebellious 18 year old college freshman would be enticed by such things. There is usually a girl or girls to impress. Often there is a new group of college buddies who feel compelled to display machismo. Sometimes these things can be chalked up to good old fashion 18 year old curiosity. Regardless, I would have been willing to give NuKeese Richardson, Mike Edwards, and Janzen Jackson a pass if it was just a little partying that went too far. This was by no means that.
You all know the story by now. Richardson and Edwards approached a parked car at a Pilot convenience store on Cumberland Avenue just off campus with a pellet gun. They demanded that the victims give them money. The victims did not have anything to give them and Jackson told the other two to get back in the car. The whole scene couldn't have lasted more than 20 or 30 seconds. An armed robbery that went awry and at least two football futures that went down the tubes. They were arrested a short time later on campus in the same Toyota Prius in which they left the Pilot station.
The Prius thing is very comical to me. This may be the only armed robbery in history that was endorsed by Al Gore. The eco-friendly car has been talked about more in the state of Tennessee since last week than any global warming conversations could have ever brought on. But I digress.
Why do you think those guys thought they needed that money? I guess it could have been a drug situation where they needed it to pay someone off. Surely it wasn't for spending money. They have all the clothes and food provided to them by UT that anyone their age could ever dream of. Perhaps they were just bored. Seems to me that their boredom could have been overcome by a rousing evening filled with a Madden tournament on a PS3 or a harmless game of poker. I know that is what I spent way too many college weeknights doing instead of robbing people at gas stations.
Richardson and Edwards have been dismissed permanently from the program and more facts need to be gathered before Lane Kiffin makes a decision on Jackson's future. From a football standpoint the losses of Richardson and Edwards hurt. Richardson was a 4 star recruit that the staff had hoped would open the pipeline to talent rich Pahokee High in Florida. Edwards was also a 4 star player. He is a Cleveland, Ohio native that we ripped from the clutches of the Ohio State Buckeyes very late in the recruiting game. While he had not had the impact that Richardson had up until the incident there is no doubt that his future was very bright. Kiffin calls Janzen Jackson one of the best safetys in the country. It remains to be seen if he will ever get to put on the orange jersey again.
While the trio were unsuccessful in getting away with any loot from the crime scene it seems as though they robbed the Vols of their ability to tackle. Dexter McCluster and the Ole Miss Rebels sliced and diced what was one of the strongest defensive units in the country on Saturday. I thought our linebackers played really poorly. I am afraid that our lack of depth there is starting to show now that it is this late in the season. Of course, you can't help but wonder if Jackson would have found a way to trip up McCluster on a couple of those long runs.
With Vandy coming up we should have an opportunity to lick our wounds and finish strong. Vanderbilt has been back to their old ways after coming off a bowl win last season. I think Kiffin will make sure that every Vol player and fan feels good about the direction of the program after next Saturday's game. He know that the program has taken a huge beating over the last week and he is not going to let the momentum that was built this season fizzle out at the end.
I am not too far removed from being 18 years old. Well, it was within the last decade. I understand that 18 year old guys are going to do really stupid things, especially when given the freedom for the first time that a freshman year at college will provide. While I don't approve of wild parties or underage drinking or recreational drug use I can at least understand why a rebellious 18 year old college freshman would be enticed by such things. There is usually a girl or girls to impress. Often there is a new group of college buddies who feel compelled to display machismo. Sometimes these things can be chalked up to good old fashion 18 year old curiosity. Regardless, I would have been willing to give NuKeese Richardson, Mike Edwards, and Janzen Jackson a pass if it was just a little partying that went too far. This was by no means that.
You all know the story by now. Richardson and Edwards approached a parked car at a Pilot convenience store on Cumberland Avenue just off campus with a pellet gun. They demanded that the victims give them money. The victims did not have anything to give them and Jackson told the other two to get back in the car. The whole scene couldn't have lasted more than 20 or 30 seconds. An armed robbery that went awry and at least two football futures that went down the tubes. They were arrested a short time later on campus in the same Toyota Prius in which they left the Pilot station.
The Prius thing is very comical to me. This may be the only armed robbery in history that was endorsed by Al Gore. The eco-friendly car has been talked about more in the state of Tennessee since last week than any global warming conversations could have ever brought on. But I digress.
Why do you think those guys thought they needed that money? I guess it could have been a drug situation where they needed it to pay someone off. Surely it wasn't for spending money. They have all the clothes and food provided to them by UT that anyone their age could ever dream of. Perhaps they were just bored. Seems to me that their boredom could have been overcome by a rousing evening filled with a Madden tournament on a PS3 or a harmless game of poker. I know that is what I spent way too many college weeknights doing instead of robbing people at gas stations.
Richardson and Edwards have been dismissed permanently from the program and more facts need to be gathered before Lane Kiffin makes a decision on Jackson's future. From a football standpoint the losses of Richardson and Edwards hurt. Richardson was a 4 star recruit that the staff had hoped would open the pipeline to talent rich Pahokee High in Florida. Edwards was also a 4 star player. He is a Cleveland, Ohio native that we ripped from the clutches of the Ohio State Buckeyes very late in the recruiting game. While he had not had the impact that Richardson had up until the incident there is no doubt that his future was very bright. Kiffin calls Janzen Jackson one of the best safetys in the country. It remains to be seen if he will ever get to put on the orange jersey again.
While the trio were unsuccessful in getting away with any loot from the crime scene it seems as though they robbed the Vols of their ability to tackle. Dexter McCluster and the Ole Miss Rebels sliced and diced what was one of the strongest defensive units in the country on Saturday. I thought our linebackers played really poorly. I am afraid that our lack of depth there is starting to show now that it is this late in the season. Of course, you can't help but wonder if Jackson would have found a way to trip up McCluster on a couple of those long runs.
With Vandy coming up we should have an opportunity to lick our wounds and finish strong. Vanderbilt has been back to their old ways after coming off a bowl win last season. I think Kiffin will make sure that every Vol player and fan feels good about the direction of the program after next Saturday's game. He know that the program has taken a huge beating over the last week and he is not going to let the momentum that was built this season fizzle out at the end.
