Recent arrests on campus have stepped a bit beyond the usual apprehension of a student smoking marijuana in the dorms. Three football players have been arrested over the past several days. Zhamal Thomas, offensive lineman, and Troy Giddens, defensive back, were accused of breaking into a women’s golf team member’s apartment and stealing her wallet. And Kyle Anderson, offensive lineman, was accused of fighting outside of Fred’s Bar and Grill in Tigerland, leaving the victim to be hospitalized. These actions are not uncommon. Reading the campus crime briefs which print each Wednesday, show that students and nonstudents are arrested on campus quite often. But the recent arrests of Tiger football players draw more attention than other students because football players serve as public faces for the University. It is no secret that the University is known more for its athletic programs than for its academics. But when our football players – who are in large part how the rest of the country views LSU – are arrested, the entire University suffers. Football players are held to a higher standard by many because of the role they play at the University, and the Athletic Department needs to take swift and aggressive action against players who break the law. Athletic Department administrators need to stress to athletes that they are different from other students because they are viewed under a national microscope, and that when they sign onto a team, they have a public role to play in addition to the role they play in sports. Following Hurricane Katrina, every televised Tiger football game included footage of team members carrying boxes and working to assist the victims from New Orleans. The image of players helping the elderly and working with some facing the lowest times in their life was prolific. With three arrests in one week, the positive legacy left by players in the 2005 season has been damaged. With any luck, their legacy has not been marred to the point where the University is known as a place where the law is disregarded instead of a place where athletes are positive role models in the community. Even if the actions of these three players are forgotten by state and national media outlets in the near future, they are still indicative of a major problem in our Athletic Department. When a large portion of the University’s image is entrusted to student athletes, they need to fully recognize and accept responsibility before they are allowed to join any team. Situations like these should never occur in the first place, but the Athletic Department needs to do its part and use these arrests as a learning opportunity for other athletes. Anything less would be irresponsible.
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