Reputation

That's what this is all about now.

The Associated Press put the story on the wire, so it's national news today.

Guilty or not, this story dampens the reputation of the football program, Croom and the University. It's a sad day.

I'm not convicting either side, since there appear to be a lot of holes in the story.

So, when is a journalist in this State going to step up and do some actual investigative reporting? How about interviewing some of the attendees of the party? That would be a good start. Then perhaps the reporter could try to piece together the events of the evening that lead up to the altercation. Maybe learn more about Mr. Armstead and his record as an officer. And learn more about these players' pasts. Have they ever been in trouble with the law before? These are just suggestions, mind you.

Again, for the record, I'm not anti-SPD. Heck, one of my best friends is a SPD Officer.

I just want the whole story, before my University's reputation is run through the mud and before I'm willing to convict the players of having complete responsibility for this incident.

To me, it sounds like a standard case of a group of guys all acting tough for their women (players and Armstead included). If that's the case, then let that be the case, drop the charges, and move on.

Unfortunately, it's probably not that simple. If Armstead carries any blame from this incident it will probably negatively impact his career as an SPD Officer. This fact alone will make the settling of this case that much harder, as Armstead would have to drop the charges for this to go away, because you know SPD will stand up for its own.