That's pretty much the general feeling here in Knoxville regarding the University of Tennessee football program, particularly after Britton Colquitt's recent run-in with the law. Colquitt [Clone #4/Alcoholic/Sebastian Janikowski/Mike Vanderjagt/Starting Punter], the 6th different UT player to be charged by police since mid-January, decided to drive his Jeep Cherokee after getting sauced early Sunday morning (no surprise there). He then proceeded to hit a parked car and a tree stump while driving drunk, and to make matters worse, left the scene of the accident. He was pulled over a mile away from the accident and was visibly sloshed, smelling of alcohol and staggering as he attempted to complete a field sobriety test. This was his 5th alcohol-related arrest since his freshman year at UT. Let's not forget that he was dismissed from the university after his 3rd offense (3 in 12 days!) back in 2003, but was reinstated after making a plea deal and keeping his nose clean (aka. not getting caught).
Britton, I know you will never read these words, but it would be nice if you would actually take the following to heart. You are a f---ing moron! I understand that college students like to drink, and many times they drink way too much, but the least you could do is find a designated driver. Call a cab. Call a teammate. Call a coach. It's obvious that you enjoy alcohol more than anything, so we are beyond the idea of [gasp!] putting down the beer bottle. Did you not learn anything from your freshman year?? You've been caught 4 times drinking as a minor and twice charged with a DUI! You obviously have no remorse. You don't care about the innocent people around you, you don't care about your teammates, coaches, and friends, but most importantly, you clearly don't care about yourself. If you did, you would at least be smart enough to hand the keys over to a sober driver.
Some people try to make excuses for your behavior (oh, he's just a college student, he's targeting because he's a football player, Fulmer isn't a disciplinarian, etc.). I don't give a sh-t what your name is. I don't care if you are in college. I don't even care that you are an athlete. If you make a mistake, you must pay the price, but more importantly, you must learn from your mistake. If this was your first offense, I wouldn't be going on this tirade. Human beings make mistakes, but when they repeat those same mistakes over and over again, that's a problem. When you were dismissed as a freshman, I thought your punishment was pretty stiff, but I thought that would give you the ultimate wake-up call. I guess I was wrong. You didn't learn at all; in fact, you learned that you can get away with it because you are a starting football player, you have the Colquitt name, and you answer to Philip Fulmer.
I'll admit it, you obviously aren't afraid of the consequences. After your latest arrest,
you should no longer be on this football team! There is no good reason (or justification) for a "simple" 5-game suspension/loss of scholarship. You are an adult, and you have to be held accountable for your actions. You are a repeat offender. Not twice. Not thrice. Not even four times, but five times! There is not one honest job on the planet that would offer you that kind of forgiveness.
I'll close with this. Some people say that Philip Fulmer is partly to blame for your behavior, and he is. Again, Britton Colquitt should no longer be on this football team. This was clearly a time when Fulmer needed to give him the ultimate kick in the pants, and he couldn't do it. There appear to be a plethora of reasons why, none of which are "good" reasons, like:
- He's a starter
- His last name is Colquitt
- Fulmer is a soft disciplinarian
- DUI doesn't warrant a dismissal
Could Philip Fulmer prevent the crap that has befallen his football program by ruling with an iron fist? Yes and no. Some of it could be prevented if Fulmer actually "disciplined" his players. He needs to put the fear of God in them.
He can't have repeat offenders on this team. However, some of these dirtbags are going to screw up regardless of the consequences, and that is a recruiting issue. Ohio State learned the hard way with John Cooper. When Cooper was winning, the university looked the other way. However, the minute the team wasn't winning as much, everyone was quick to point out that the team was being run by the players/thugs and not the coaches. Maybe Fulmer should play it "safer" when it comes to recruiting. It's time for Philip Fulmer to step up and do what's right. In all honesty, it's not going to happen under his watch. The only solution is to get someone in here who can.
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