Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Thoughts on Garcia and the next step

So what do you say or what can you say? There have been seven USC players arrested or cited since Dec. 31, including five charged with alcohol- or drug-related offenses...GEEEZ!

At first, I found it ok to help find excuses for these"kids" because let's all agree that we have all made mistakes and can some how relate BUT enough is enough. After about the fourth time a USC player helped THE University of South Carolina gain some front page press in state-wide media publications...my patience and understanding when south.

As Moose asked in yesterdays' report on this incident and the Sunday Morning QB wrote about it here - What shall Spurrier do with Mr. Garcia?

This is the third time Stephen Garcia has gotten in trouble since graduating early and enrolling at USC in January 2007. He was suspended for spring practice last year following two arrests in two weeks. Garcia was arrested for drunkenness and failure to stop on police command last February in Five Points before being charged with keying a visiting professor’s car on campus two weeks later. USC coach Steve Spurrier said Garcia’s “fate is in the hands of the University of South Carolina.”

In my view, I think one of two things should happen to Mr. Garcia, he either needs to be suspended from all team activities like Corey Boyd did in 2005 and sent home OR removed from the team for good.

Not that he needs to be made an example of but this kind of disrespect needs to be dealt with harshly. Team rules need to be enforced and if broken again and again - well it is time to think a little bigger on 'what to do' with players and breaking the law. Tanner kicked a kid off the team who was one of the best players on the team/nation and was a freshman; granted he stole something but his star power was overlooked and it was dealt with harshly.

It is time for Spurrier and the University to 'nip this in the bud;' this whole issue of players getting in trouble, I am not sure if USC/Columbia PD are out to get players but it is time to stop gaining national attention for off the field mistakes. He has had his chances and needs to be treated like a adult. It may be good for him to go home to Tampa be with his child and realize that he is no longer a kid and has a wonderful opportunity to play football for Spurrier, be highly praised and get a 'free' education.

I think most fans agree that we do want to win but let's not sacrifice our dignity in the name of it. It is beyond being funny and now it is bad...bad for fans, bad for current players, bad for future players and bad for past players.

Thoughts?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes ponchus pilot, cusify him becuase he had a beer at 20 something none of us ever did in east quad... god forrbid he got laid and had a kid....where is johny cocktail now!

gowens said...

honestly he just has bad luck. Some people get in serious car wrecks on the way home to see their mothers after a long night of drinking and at other times get tossed in jail in Savannah for the night for trying to eat at Waffle House. In comparison to this type of behavior young Garcia has done nothing wrong. i agree with JR, we all have ahd beer sitting outside in the east quad, south quad or anywhere. We just never got caught. He paid his fine and lost his license. let it be not like it was public drunkeness or anything severe. Plus I believe the house is contiplating lower the drinking age. You could even chalk this one up to a peaceful protest.

gowens said...

Proof of peaceful protest...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-20-drinkingage_N.htm