This article originally appeared in the November 8, 2012 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.
Arkansas’ football season has truly been a
roller coaster ride. Like most Razorback fans, I’ve watched in agony, loss
after loss, injury after injury and suspension after suspension.
The most recent suspension was especially
tough. Senior linebacker Terrell Williams was arrested for driving while
intoxicated early Sunday morning.
UA interim head coach John L. Smith
responded by suspending Williams indefinitely. Williams was already filling in
for seniors Tenarius Wright and Alonzo Highsmith, who will miss the remainder
of the season because of injuries.
Many fans have been calling for Smith to
be fired because of Arkansas’ five losses and his press conferences that
sometimes leave fans and media members scratching their heads. However, I believe
he should be commended for suspending Williams.
DWI is a serious crime, as it not only
puts his health and wellbeing at risk, but it also puts other people on the
road in danger. From 1991 to 2010, over a quarter of a million people lost
their lives because of drunken drivers.
I’ve heard some Razorback fans say that
Smith’s punishment was too severe. Even former Razorback and current Minnesota
Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright tweeted that Williams’ suspension was
“crazy.”
How is suspending someone for breaking the
law “crazy”? You cannot drink and drive; that law is as clear as it could
possibly be. Yet Williams, as many athletes do, thought he was above the law
and could get away with it.
Wright also tweeted that Williams should
be punished in the weight room and with running after practice, but not
suspended. Sure, these punishments are great for some small violations, but not
DWI.
From my experience playing high school
football, simple punishments aren’t nearly as effective as suspension. The pain
from lifting weights and running might last a day or two, but the pain from
having to watch your teammates play without you will last a lifetime.
Also, some Razorback fans argue that
Williams’ suspension shouldn’t be “indefinite.” They say that he should know if
he is suspended for one or two games, or the rest of the season.
I think the indefinite suspension will
actually help Williams and the Razorbacks in the long run. Instead of knowing
when he’ll be back, he will have to go out in practice every day and fight for
his spot back. He will have to go above and beyond the call of duty to show the
coaches that he is ready and deserves to be back.
College athletes are living the dream of
thousands of kids everywhere. Why they do stupid things to jeopardize it is
beyond me. Not only do they have to obey the law like normal citizens, but they
also have to live up to a higher standard.
When Williams was arrested, the headline
was “Arkansas Football Player Arrested,” not “UA Student Arrested” or
“21-Year-Old Arrested.” Athletes have to realize that their mistakes are
magnified and they will have to face consequences for them.
It would have been easy for Smith to
punish Williams in practice and not suspend him in order to keep him at middle
linebacker. It is an accepted fact that Smith will not return as head coach of
the Razorbacks next season, so he could have easily left him in for the sake of
winning.
Instead, he took the integrity route,
similar to how UA Director of Athletics Jeff Long handled the Bobby Petrino
situation earlier this year.
Regardless of whether Arkansas defeats
South Carolina this weekend or makes a bowl game at the end of the year, I will
always respect Smith for making the right decision by suspending Williams.
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