Head football coach Sylvester Croom has stressed the importance of good character for his players. But a player’s recent indecent exposure and simple assault charges may give another black eye to the team’s already damaged image.
Adron Chambers was arrested Wednesday and originally charged with attempted sexual assault. However, this charge was dropped yesterday and reduced to the aforementioned misdemeanors.
Regardless, this latest incident just reinforces the stereotype of unruly, roguish football players. Since Croom has taken over the program, he has emphasized character and academic excellence over winning football games, with the logic that the former factors would improve performances on the field.
Unfortunately, some of Croom’s players have been battling with belligerence for the last couple of years. Two years ago a player was arrested for possession of cocaine, and last year a group of players was involved in a nightclub assault, which resulted in misdemeanor charges. Now a player has possibly conducted himself in an inappropriate fashion toward another student.
MSU’s football players should start to realize that they should be setting examples for the university instead of reducing its reputation.
To be fair, MSU is not the only university with football player problems. Many colleges around the nation face the same kinds of problems with players. And we can’t blame Croom completely. Although he picked Chambers to be on the team, some of the other players arrested over the last couple of years were chosen by former head coach Jackie Sherrill.
Lastly, as if this bad publicity isn’t enough, the MSU administration has been tight-lipped about the incident in general. Keeping the facts from the media won’t help the situation or the reputation of the school. The best thing to do is to tell the truth and ensure the public that this kind of behavior won’t be tolerated.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Jed Pressgrove, news editor C.J. LeMaster, assistant news editor Keeley Tatum, entertainment editor Aaron Burdette, sports editor R.J. Morgan, online editor Sara McAdory, managing editor Ross Dellenger and editor in chief Tyler Stewart.