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Stupid, stupid, stupid Saturday, Jul 12, 2008 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Succinctly and accurately, the woman explained the Matt Jones arrest to her two athletic sons. "People do stupid things," our administrative assistant told the 12-year-old and his 14-year-old brother. Both idolized Jones, she said, and they wanted answers. Those two and about every other fan of Arkansas football during this decade. By now, most everybody in the state knows that the former No. 9 was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance, cocaine. His guilt or innocence is to be decided. For his adoring public, it is incumbent upon Jones to take the initiative and make a statement. If he is innocent, he should say so and admit to doing something stupid. If he is guilty, he should say so and admit to doing something stupid. Either way, he would be well served. Most fans will forgive if the perpetrator is a first-time offender who is publicly remorseful. Note Yankee first baseman Jason Giambi, who told a federal grand jury in 2003 that he took steroids for at least three seasons. In February 2005, he apologized to the Yankees, to his teammates and to the fans. Although Giambi plays in front of the most calloused fans on earth, thousands of them donned free big, black Giambi replica mustaches handed out this week as part of the team's "Support the Stache" campaign. The promotion was part of an attempt to get Giambi the final spot on the American League All-Star team. It failed because fans around the country preferred Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria. On the other side, Pete Rose has paid the price for being obstinate. Many believe Rose would be in the Baseball Hall of Fame if he had only apologized immediately when confronted about betting on baseball instead of lying about his sin for 14 years and then including his confession in a book. Early on, the only family reaction to Jones' arrest came from his father, Steve. He told Fayetteville television station KNWA that his son wanted to make a statement, but that his attorney advised him to stay quiet until they could confer. "We want to make it clear that Matt was not in possession of any drugs, but that there were drugs in the vehicle and were located in the closest proximity to Matt," Jones said. "He does not claim any responsibility for the drugs." The police report said an officer saw Jones in the back seat of an SUV with a "white powdery substance" in his lap and that he was using a credit card to "chop up and scrape the powder." It's one thing to buy a pack of cigarettes for a friend; it's another to cut up cocaine on request. Meanwhile, Jones is being roasted by some Jacksonville Jaguars fans who are angry about the failures of the former Arkansas quarterback and other first-round draft picks. Such reaction is expected and the Internet is a perfect conduit. Comments by columnist Gene Frenette in a Jacksonville newspaper, The Times-Union, are more disturbing. He alluded to some rumors about Jones and said the arrest would facilitate the team's dismissal of Jones, who was not considered one of the Jaguars' top four receivers even a month ago. "He shows less respect for the privilege of being an NFL player than anyone in team history, and that includes R. Jay Soward, another first-round draft pick who flamed out," Frenette said. No matter what he says, Jones is not likely to appease folks in Jacksonville who are ticked because of his lack of productivity. In Arkansas, where he is a folk hero, the right words will work wonders. ------- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
