Nowadays Michael Vick has become a household name, but not for his on-field accomplishments. Instead he is famous for a federal conspiracy charge of bankrolling dogfighting he pleaded guilty to. LSU’s players have also had some infamous off-field incidents despite the preventative measures the Tigers coaching staff took. “[Coach Miles] has set standards, ” said LSU recruiting coordinator and tight end coach Josh Henson. “There are certain penalties for missing class to missing training room appointments. Honestly, we don’t expect any of our players to do that. But if it gets to that point [Miles] will handle it.” Redshirt freshman linebacker Derrick Odom III served a suspension after charges of simple assault, attempted unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling and two counts of simple criminal damage to property July 28. Odom received an additional two weeks after his second arrest along with former LSU football player Xavier Carter following charges of simple criminal damage to property on Sept 1. LSU coach Les Miles did not dismiss Odom from the team. “I’ve got to look exactly at what appears to be the right call … what actually transpired and not necessarily what the charge was,” Miles told The Daily Reveille on Sept 19. LSUPD said these charges are the most common among students. The Tigers do attempt to curb off-field incidents and not just respond to them. Many players said coaches always speak to them about staying out of bad situations and staying out of trouble. “The coaches here care about us not just from a player-coach standpoint but from a father-son standpoint,” said sophomore running back Keiland Williams. “So they always want to see us out there doing well and making the right decisions off the field.” This past off-season, three LSU Tiger football players were dismissed from the team: Troy Giddens, Zhamal Thomas and Kyle Anderson. Giddens and Thomas were charged with simple burglary, and Giddens also was charged with identity theft. Giddens was later arrested again following charges of second degree battery and simple battery. Anderson was charged with second degree battery. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was only suspended in May after allegedly attempting to enter a casino underage. Perrilloux has not been involved in any off-field incidents since the suspension was lifted. “I’ve seen him keep guys on the team for the right reasons.” Henson said. “I’ve seen him dismiss guys for the right reasons.” Williams also said the team sometimes organizes functions for the players to bond and have fun in a positive environment, which Miles said is something important to him. “Coach Miles always stresses that the particular place you are in might cause you to get in trouble,” said junior defensive end Tyson Jackson. “So always set yourself up in positive areas and most likely positive things will happen in that positive area.” The team has also formed a player organization to assist with off-the-field incidents called the Unity Leadership Council. “The role is really being part of the person for the team, and somebody that the younger people will follow,” said senior linebacker Ali Highsmith. “If we have issues within the team, it’s brought to us and we try to guide the people who are in trouble into a better situation. They won’t repeat the predicament and we help them so that they won’t get in trouble anymore.” The council meets once a week and handles any player-related issues. “One of our concerns is from something like somebody not going to class,” Highsmith said. “You really just talk to the person and try to lead them in the right direction so they don’t repeat and get in any trouble.” Other Southeastern Conference schools take a similar approach. Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said he has guest speakers come in and talk about things such as making decisions, and drugs and alcohol. Miles said recruits are not given thorough background checks but their character is assessed. “I’ve not really done background checks other than try to uncover any pertinent issues with the people that deal with them from day to day,” Miles said. Henson said talent is the first thing scouts look for in recruits, but he pointed out that character is important. “We really believe a big factor when we make a decision on a young man is character, classwork and how they perform and behave in society,” Henson said. “These are all factors because a team full of character is going to put you that much closer to a championship.”
—-Contact Amos Morale at [email protected]