Rob a Store, Become Captain of Your High School Football Team

[BPSCG]

Link. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/07/AR2006090701712.html)
They have decided, as a team, that Pat Lazear's troubles no longer exist. He and four friends were never arrested for the robbery of a Bethesda smoothie shop. Police never charged Lazear with two felonies. The Montgomery County school system never forced him to transfer from Whitman High School before his senior year.

None of the incidents is relevant to Lazear's new football teammates at Wheaton High School, so they've instituted a simple rule: Treat Lazear as if his life began Aug. 15, when the All-Met linebacker arrived at Wheaton's practice field and revived the school's football team.

More than five months after he allegedly drove the getaway car in a felony robbery and three months after Whitman forced him to finish his junior year at home, Lazear, 17, has reclaimed his place in football's hierarchy. More than 20 Division I colleges have offered Lazear scholarships, and he will likely choose between Alabama and Ohio State. Coaches at Wheaton consider Lazear's arrival to be the luckiest incident in the team's recent history. Teammates voted Lazear captain, even though the Maryland judicial system forces him to wear a black ankle monitor so it can track his whereabouts.


"I'm just going to go out and prove what I can do on the field," Lazear said. "People can say whatever they want to say to me, but after one play they're not going to be talking anymore. A player is a player no matter where you are. That's my philosophy. I'm just trying to put this all behind me."Emphasis mine. Sounds like he's certainly learned how to talk like a pro.

Lazear's attorney, the prosecutor and the judge debated Lazear's college prospects at the hearing. Said Dugan: "It depends how good he is. Even if he is convicted of armed robbery, some school out there will take him."No doubt.

[Katana]

It is so reassuring when our youth learn the life lessons that you need to take responsibility for your mistakes and breaking the law has serious consequences.

[a_unique_person]

I didn't know he went to my high school.

[WildCat]

If he goes to Ohio State he can follow in Clarette's path...

[KingMerv00]

To be fair, the kid might have 20 years hanging over his head. That sounds serious to me.

The article is more a commentary on sports than on the law.

[Walk The Line]

"The curfew sucks," Lazear said. "I was going to have this great summer -- go on fishing trips, get a job, go to the beach. I couldn't do any of it."

Yea, it sucks not being able to go to the beach after providing a gun for a robbery. Why I bet all the girls would have the hots for him if they knew he was packing heat. Some girls dig bad boys.

In May, Whitman asked Lazear to finish his school year at home. Whitman principal Alan Goodwin recommended expulsion, but an arbiter overturned that recommendation.

We would hate to deprive this sterling young lad of his venue to play football, now wouldn't we?

One witness after another stepped to the stand and characterized Lazear as an athletic leader.

Because clearly, that is all that matters.

Wheaton, which won its only state title in 1996, has not had a winning varsity season for three years, and Lazear has infused the team with optimism that it will end that streak.

Yes, I'd be an optimist too if I knew one of my teammates was a thief. Perhaps, he'd only take $20 from me as opposed to the $460 he and his buddies stole from the store.

Elijah Davis, a talented running back, invited four starters to his house and logged on to a recruiting Web site. They replayed 10-second clips of Lazear's highlights for almost an hour. "We were all gathered around the computer just like in shock," Davis said. "It was like . . . 'This guy is going to make us good.' "

At what, getting caught at criminal activity?

Even though Maryland high school players are not allowed to wear jewelry on the field, Lazear will be able to play with the monitor.

Good to know exceptions can be made for any talented athelete accused of a serious crime.

"I'd be a fool to take him off the field," Neal said. "He'll play both ways all the time and do everything for us. Pat sees this as an opportunity to put Wheaton back on the map."

A classy way to build a high school football program.

The letters echoed a common theme: Even teenagers who make mistakes need to participate in school.

Yes, all teenagers are equal, but talented teenagers are more equal than others.

In Lazear's hearing last week, the judge asked Angela Lazear if she considered punishing her son by taking away football. "We don't look at football as an extracurricular activity," she said. "We look at it as an opportunity . . . to pay for his school. . . . We have never considered that. It would ruin his future."

It is oh so nice to see your son can threaten OTHER people's livlihoods with little repercussion. But taking away his? No, we can't do that.

Lazear will wait for the resolution of his criminal charges before making his college announcement. He said the ESPNU television network is interested in a live broadcast of the announcement.

The longer the rap sheet, the better the ratings.

[Jaggy Bunnet]

What, exactly, is the point here?

That he should not be allowed to play sport because he was convicted of a crime?

What does that achieve?

[senorpogo]

I'm sure this kid would have gotten the same treatment if he was on the debate team.

[Katana]

What, exactly, is the point here?

That he should not be allowed to play sport because he was convicted of a crime?

What does that achieve?
He hasn't been convicted. He faces trial in November. The beginning of the article is a bit misleading because it makes it sound like there were no plans for charging him with a crime, but it points out only that he wasn't arrested for it.

[Jaggy Bunnet]

Good to know exceptions can be made for any talented athelete accused of a serious crime.

yeah I'm sure this is exactly the circumstance they had in mind when they instituted the jewellery ban.

[Walk The Line]

What, exactly, is the point here?

That if you get kicked off your own team for robbery, you can go to another, less talented team, and get voted captain.

That he should not be allowed to play sport because he was convicted of a crime?

That's the general idea.

What does that achieve?

A consequence for the act of assisting with armed robbery?

[Jaggy Bunnet]

A consequence for the act of assisting with armed robbery?

I thought you had a legal system that laid down the range of penalties available? Is this one of them, or just a bit of extra, add hoc punishment that you want to apply?

Would you be suggesting he was kicked off the chess team or out of the physics club if he was a member of those? If not, why not?

[Walk The Line]

yeah I'm sure this is exactly the circumstance they had in mind when they instituted the jewellery ban.

Yes, because they probably thought most kids wouldn't commit armed robbery.

Obviously, they were wrong in this particular instance.

[Jaggy Bunnet]

Yes, because they probably thought most kids wouldn't commit armed robbery.

Obviously, they were wrong.

Or they did it on safety grounds and do not believe that the tag represents a danger so they allow it?

Already had a professional footballer play with a tag despite there being rules against jewellery:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4405531.stm

[BPSCG]

Would you be suggesting he was kicked off the chess team or out of the physics club if he was a member of those? If not, why not?Yes.

His first principal wanted to expel him from school entirely, never mind bar him from football, or chess, or physics.

I predict he cops a plea and gets sentenced to six months' community service, involving going to junior high schools and helping the JV football coaches out at practice.

And the lesson passed on to everyone else will be, if you're a football star, people will forgive almost anything, short of murder.

A wise man once observed, "Knowing what the right thing to do isn't often very hard. It's doing it that's the hard part." The right thing to do is to bounce him off the football team and teach him, while he's still young enough to benefit from the lesson, that bad behavior has bad consequences.

[Jaggy Bunnet]

The right thing to do is to bounce him off the football team and teach him, while he's still young enough to benefit from the lesson, that bad behavior has bad consequences.

Or treat him the same as everyone else and NOT impose extra punishments because he is on the football team.

[Walk The Line]

Or treat him the same as everyone else and NOT impose extra punishments because he is on the football team.

Well, I wouldn't anyone who's committed armed robbery in school to begin with. Whether or not he's on the football team has nothing to do with it.

[Jaggy Bunnet]

Well, I wouldn't anyone who's committed armed robbery in school to begin with. Whether or not he's on the football team has nothing to do with it.

Allegedly, at this stage.

So why is his being on the football team even mentioned then?

[Lurker]

Allegedly, at this stage.

So why is his being on the football team even mentioned then?

Well, his being elected as Captain of hte Football team after his alleged involvement in a robbery certainly raises eyebrows, no? Is it standard practice to elect alleged criminals as team leaders? Where is the coach, as a voice of adult reason, in this?

Frankly, I think most students would have gotten expelled over something like this.

[Lurker]

Did anyone else notice that the lawyer who defended Tyson is defending this guy?

Amazing that the family can afford such a high priced lawyer. <snort>

Lurker

[Walk The Line]

Allegedly, at this stage.

So why is his being on the football team even mentioned then?

At the very least, even his own lawyer admits he provided a gun look alike (the lawyer says it wasn't a real gun, but a replica). I'd say that's a pretty big deal.

I'm sure one reason is that because it looks like as a talented football player, he is having to face fewer consequences than others, of presumably less talent, would face. Not only from his parents (why would we kick him off the football team?), but his new teammates (hey, he can help us win!), and the new coach (we can finally get a winning season!).

[Jorghnassen]

And the lesson passed on to everyone else will be, if you're a football star, people will forgive almost anything, short of murder.

Well, if you're a (former) football star, people might not forgive murder, but they'll acquit anyway...

[marksman]

The criminal law does not, in fact, set the parameter sof possible punishments. A child accused of a serious felony (in which armed robbery is certainly included) can face administrative penalties and civil penalties.

Many schools will prohibit a student accused of a serious felony from participating in any extra-curricular activities because other students need to see that there are direct consequences to one's actions, particularly as a trial in the crime might not occur until after graduation (depending on when that is).

[BPSCG]

If I'd ever gotten arrested for armed robbery, getting bounced off the football team or expelled from school would have been the least of my worries.

My biggest worry would have been where to hide all my dad's belts before he found out, 'cuz he would have worn them out on me. I wouldn't have been concerned about my parents' "ruining my future." I'd be concerned about them ending my future.

Okay, I'm geezing here...

[Bob Klase]

And the lesson passed on to everyone else will be, if you're a football star, people will forgive almost anything, short of murder.

Or including murder... OJ.

ETA: on second thought, that's not really accurate since it was an incompetent prosecution team that got him forgiven.

[Tony]

What, exactly, is the point here?

That he should not be allowed to play sport because he was convicted of a crime?

What does that achieve?

Has he been convicted? If so, why is he not in jail? This doesn't make sense.

[Silly Green Monkey]

The beginning of the article indicates that he was arrested, not that he wasn't.

[HeavyAaron]

This is the best argument I have ever heard for not committing robbery.

Football? Doesn't that fall under "cruel and unusual punishment?"

I'm just glad I've never stolen anything.

Aaron