Reason 1: The legal drinking age in Georgia and many other states was changed from 18 to 21. I’m not judging the morality of it, just stating a fact. When I was in college very few students were arrested because drinking at 18 was legal. And a large number of athlete arrests are of the open container / underage drinking variety. College students are going to drink some.

Reason 2: The police today have in many instances lost their common sense. Take for instance the UGA basketball player who was taken into custody for crossing against the crosswalk light in the middle of the day and found to have an elevated alcohol level (below intoxication) which was reported by the media due to the cough syrup he was taking for a cold. I still think cops today watch too much Law and Order and will arrest an athlete where they would let a nonathlete go.

Reason 3: The recognition that the media (read that the Atlanta Journal Constitution) gives to athlete arrests in order to attract eyeballs to their website and to sell papers in order to generate higher revenue. They know it is an emotional issue and will generate controversy. Look at this article and the discuussions. I know the media is not responsible for the athletes doing something wrong, but they do not report every arrest by nonathletes and do not have to rub the athletes’ face in it when they make a mistake to turn a little more of the almighty dollar.

I have seen AJC articles on athletes arrested for the misdemeaners of having a tail light out, driving with an expired tag or license, failure to come to a complete stop, etc. Is this newsworthy? Do we read about it for the average individual who is not on an athletic scholarship? NO

I read where two ex UGA athletes were arrested recently for breaking the law? Why were they identified as ex athletes? Was that pertinent to the facts of the story? NO The AJC doesn’t identify John Doe or Mary Smith who gets arresnted for some charge as ex Clemson, Florida State, or Shorter College students. So why the need to do it with ex atheletes. To make more revenue.

A reminder to readers: newspapers make their money based on paper circulation numbers and eyeballs on their websites. That sets the advertisement rates they can charge and the media makes it’s money off of advertising.

The website is free to look at (or no one would go there) and the 75 cents the daily paper costs probably does not cover the cost of manufacturing it.

The bottom line with the media and what they report is that it is all about the money. It is about selling your soul for the almighty dollar.

The second is the relationship this lawyer has with the State Attorney. He has a “close” relationship with State Attorney Bill Cervone who is a (you guessed it) Gainesville resident, UF Alumn and Gator Booster. Nearly all these charges against UF players have been reduced dramatically or dropped! Now, this one may be a little harder to prove, but its certainly worth looking into. Not to mention the issue of apparent prosecutorial misconduct.

The Orlando Sentinel began to scratch the surface last week.

Hey AJC, will you hire me? I most assuredly can piggyback off old stories myself and I’ll work for cheaper. Also, I look better.

Bow before me, I am the father, the son & the holy Tebow.

My hands are broken from circumcising the uncleansed in Malasia & other parts of the world.