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... so put down the stones. Stop making fun of the SEC. Stop bashing OSU. Leave Larry Coker and Bobby Bowden alone..... For I have seen the enemy, and the enemy is us.............
Well, if officially losing Jarrett Jack wasn't bad enough news yesterday, a bigger bombshell hit - that Reuben Houston was arrested for intent to distribute and posses about 100 pounds of marijuana, worth about $60,000. Folks, we're not talking about a sandwich bag of dope or a joint - we're talking 100 pounds. We're talking duffle bags, a trunk full.......... Evidently his roomates got suspicious when they found 15,000 bags of Cheetos stuffed into his dorm closet (ok, bad idea, but humor is my coping mechanism)............ We're also not talking about a lucky find by the cops. We are talking a year-long Federal investigation into the guy who sold him the stuff - Oscar Rosales. The Macon Telegraph is reporting that Houston actually had the stuff in his possesion..........
First, Reubon Houston needs some serious thoughts and prayers. How does a guy with a promising future come to a decision-point in his mind where this makes sense? All we can hope for now is that he is either cleared (not likely from the sounds of it), or that he finds a way to use this situation to create a better life - once he gets out of prison (if found guilty). What about his football career? Well, he's suspended from the team and the school. Only clearing his name would let him back. Don't hold your breath. His football career is probably the least of his worries.
Second, Jacket fans better pray that he is the only player that gets dragged into this thing. I'm sorry, but if one of the upperclassman "leaders" planned on getting and distributing 100 pounds of dope, odds are his customers are going to be people he knows. Who does he know better than his teammates? This is going to be a nightmare if that happens (worse than it already is).
Third, the collective groan of Jacket fans just got louder. The fire-Chan crowd is crowing. The not-Chan's-fault crowd is firing back. Here's my take. First, coaches and AD's are responsible for setting a tone around the program - an expectation level around ethics, morality and conduct. Coaches are responsible for the general characterization and conduct of the team, but not responsible for individual player conduct. Reubon Houston's arrest is Reubon Houston's fault, not Chan Gailey's. ........ Does what he did fall into a overall pattern within the program? Is the program characterized by this type of behavior? An emphatic NO!!! Georgia Tech has a strong record (no pun intended) of producing high quality, character young men. That has not changed under Chan Gailey.......... But, now we DO have a player arrested for a serious crime while at the school. So now our program IS partially characterized by at least one player accussed of committing a crime. Does that mean Chan Gailey is running a dirty program? No, but people will be watching.
Does this incident fit into an overall pattern that might be summed up with with the phrase "lack of institutional control"? Definitely more gray area here, but that's a stretch if you ask me. Flunkgate and academic ineligibility were embarrassing, but they were the result of stupidity and lack of a rigorous controls process, not the result of an unethical team of administrators. I don't even lump Chan Gailey into the administration much with that situation. We just have to take Dave Braine at his word that those controls are now in place. A player committing a crime is just so different from this other stuff that I cannot logically make that connection. But then I'm not part of the "fire-Chan" crowd either.
There is a fourth point - how on earth will this impact our team? Well, tremendously. We lose Daryl Richard to injury, Travis Parker flunks out, and now this. Three defensive starters lost - and the team strength was supposed to be our defense. Players who will be looked at to fill that role include Jamal Lewis, Dennis Davis and Avery Roberson. Only time will tell what this means - and we'll know for sure in January.........
By the way, some interesting links:
HOUSTON ARRESTED - Macon Telegraph
GATECH CORNERBACK ARRESTED - AP
FEDERAL LAWS ON DRUG CRIMES
GEORGIA LAWS ON DRUG CRIMES
Any possession, manufacture or distribution of greater than 50 pounds is considered trafficking and all trafficking offenses carry mandatory minimum sentences. For amounts greater than 50 pound but less that 2,000 pounds, the sentence is a minimum of 5 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
One last important comment for us all to remember - INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY...... We need to remember it here and remember it when discussing all the problems at other schools as well......... After all, it's easy to see out of our glass house now........ Man, what a crappy 24 hours........