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Some Criminal Decisions, On And Off Field

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By STEVE OTTO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 6, 2008

I had turned on the car radio and there was this rant going on over this guy. I thought I had turned on a right-wing AM talk radio show and I swear I thought they were talking about Barack Obama and why he should never be allowed to set foot in Florida. It took me a minute to realize the two men were going on about a football player by the name of Jerramy Stevens.

Of course, even though this was a sports radio show, they weren't talking football. If you ever listen to radio sports shows they very seldom actually talk about sports. I guess what threw me about the discussion was that the two radio commentators were going on mercilessly about the book-length list of problems Stevens the football player had on his record. More than that, they were lambasting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have brought Stevens back for another season.

That was what got me. Here were two radio sports jocks, right here in Homer City, pounding away at what they opined was an almost criminal decision. It was pretty good stuff.
Professional sport has long been the sanctuary for the double standard.

There are ample reasons this is so, and even more excuses. Professional sport is all about money. Cities have ransomed their economic futures, not to mention any moral responsibilities to their citizens, to be a part of the game.

What city has not only been promised the rewards of becoming "A Big League City," but been warned of the consequences of not selling out? To that end, how many cities have sacrificed until it hurt their budgets to build sport palaces and arenas?

Apparently, the uproar over Jerramy Stevens goes back to a long piece that appeared in the Seattle Times, recounting Stevens' exploits at the University of Washington and continuing on with many more brushes with the law.

The Book On Jerramy

It's a biography of trouble going back to high school where he punched those holes in the wall, got caught with alcohol and marijuana and kicked that student in the testicles.

The most troubling was an alleged rape that would be settled out of court despite DNA and plenty of compelling evidence. Then there was that felony assault during a prearranged fight in a park where Stevens stomped on a guy's face. When you are 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds you can do a lot of stomping. Fortunately the coaches at the university managed to get him released from home confinement to practice with the team ... priorities of course.

Leave Early

For Tampa residents, who like to drive, a larger concern might be Stevens' penchant for DUIs or leaving the scene of an accident. That has been almost a specialty, including slamming a red Toyota truck into a retirement home.

But hey, the guy can play football, the Bucs need a tight end and he wasn't in jail at the time. The NFL has suspended him from the Bucs' first two games for violating the league's substance abuse policy, but that should only be an annoyance.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the Bucs only want to do their bit for helping the down and out and this is their way of reaching out. My only suggestion is that if you do go to one of their games, you leave early and get out of the parking lot before the players hit the road. You might live longer.

For more Steve Otto, go to TBO and search for Otto Graphs.

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