Georgia Football: College football and Marijuana
By Mike Stowe
With another Georgia Football player arrested for Marijuana possession this weekend, Mike Stowe wonders if UGA can do anything about it.
Related Story: What now for Riley Ridley
And there goes another one. As most of you already know by now, Georgia Football running back Elijah Holyfield was arrested early Sunday morning for possession of marijuana. Reports say that the odor was smelled coming from his room and the police were called. They arrested the young Dawg who is of course the son of boxing legend Evander Holyfield.
This isn’t the first one this spring. either. Riley Ridley got arrested for marijuana possession as well. Luckily for him, it looks like his charges may be dropped after completion of a pre trial diversion program. So news flash, sports fans some college kids smoke weed. Some college football players smoke weed. Always have, and always will.
So how do we approach this issue?
I think many people aren’t looking at it from the right point of view. I’ve seen SO many people complaining since the Holyfield arrest. They’ll say “It shouldn’t be illegal! Holyfield being in trouble is ridiculous!” Another few things I’ve heard said:
“Why did Holyfield’s R.A. call the police?” “Why did the police have to arrest him for just a little bit of weed”? And my personal favorite- “Why did he get arrested for a plant?”
Many don’t agree with marijuana being illegal, which I get. I really do. I’ve seen much worse things happen to and done by people who were abusing alcohol. It seems odd that alcohol is legal and destroys marriages, careers and lives. Marijuana is illegal and makes people lazy and eat too many Cheetos.
Here’s where I’m going to have to be the “buzzkill”.
We have to look at this like adults. Is possessing marijuana illegal in Georgia and an arrest-able offence? Yes. Is it against team rules? Yes. Even if a big portion of the public and Georgia’s fan base think it’s ridiculous to go to jail over a small amount of weed, it can and will happen. So while I understand that college players are going to smoke pot, they must understand that doing so can hurt their team.
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It can have a negative affect on their college experience if they get caught. And it can ultimately harm their potential future football careers. College football players get a lot of benefits from being an athlete, so there will always be a price to pay for breaking the law. What these young men have to decide for themselves is simple: ” Is it worth it?”