Accountability

Blutarsky does a good job of hitting the who is doing what with athletes and police in Athens and the obvious follow up on how it might be played out on the recruiting trail. However, if you want a good view of the perspective of those that have gone before, check out the article The Senator linked.

Blutarsky quoted most of the money shot, but it isn't hard to see the difference in approach, and recalcitrance, from those that have had their issues from other sports and that of Carter. Carter, while talking about second chances, is too easily laying the blame on Athens, the culture and the ACC/University PD. He isn't owning his drinking or threatening a woman. For an alternative view, see Cornelius Washington.

Also, there is an interesting confluence of factors in the ever growing #HCMRhlco meme. Some athletes make better decisions than others. Honestly, I don't believe in the good apple/bad apple theory. College students will be college students. The real issues, those that have resulted in dismissals (at least in football), have been really poor life decisions.  Basically, I'm saying that while there is a probable witch hunt of sorts by the local constabulary due to many factors and powers in Clarke County, there is plenty of blame to be lain at the feet of the athletes who make the unwise decisions to go out and act the fool.

If the police know all the athletes and all the athletes are always out enjoying the Athens party lyfe, then we'd see far more arrests. We can quibble about how often charges get pressed when an athlete, or any other student, has an interaction with police, but there are far more times when the average Friday night out having a couple of drinks at the club ends in nothing more than a ride back to East Campus Village in a taxi.

There are 8 biggies that will 100% result in an arrest in Athens (not counting those that you shouldn't have to be told, like don't kill anyone):

• Don't drink and drive. 
• Don't pass out in bathrooms/on sidewalks/on benches or in The Grill/Waffle House/Bourbon Street. 
• Don't hit others or threaten to do so, especially with a weapon.
• Don't be holding.
• Don't touch anyone without an invitation to do so. 
• Don't carry guns. 
• If you are underage, don't flout that fact or push your luck by toting a drink up the sidewalk, jackass.
• Don't get nekkid in public. 

Go out. Have fun. Be a college student. Be smart about doing those things. Even athletes can do so and not get into trouble. Kyle Carter, despite his profession otherwise, still doesn't get that.

TD

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