By William Qualkinbush.
By William Qualkinbush.
This week, the SEC is holding its annual media gathering prior to football season in Hoover, AL. As usual, it is a circus with press lackeys latching onto anything and everything that could possibly be a story in the deadest period in the sports calendar.
Perhaps the biggest newsmaker among the attending players is Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, whose rise from Georgia castoff to junior college stud to Heisman candidate makes for great fodder this time of year. This is true especially considering Marshall’s entrance onto college football’s grandest stage last season.
But Marshall was a no-show at the media gathering due to his recent citation for marijuana possession that barely rippled the justice system. The amount was almost too small to even register with local law enforcement, so the charge is minor in nature. Therefore, a minor punishment would seem to be reasonable. The public probably wouldn’t blame Head Coach Gus Malzahn if he said the matter was being handled and left it at that.
But Malzahn barred Marshall from attending SEC media days due to his arrest, effectively grounding his star quarterback from what he feels is a vacation. Furthermore, Malzahn stated the matter “will be addressed” in comments made to the media hoard in Hoover.
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Now, I like Marshall as a football player. I like Malzahn as a coach. I like that offense, and I like second chances. I like the message sent by punishing wrongdoing, particularly when someone is a repeat offender.
But something bothers me here, and I think it revolves around the use of the future tense in Malzahn’s statement. When you say something “will be addressed”, it typically means the issue hasn’t been addressed yet. But Malzahn claimed leaving Marshall at home was a result of the arrest. Malzahn also declined to speak about the specifics of Marshall’s punishment, giving himself even more wiggle room.
No, leaving Nick Marshall at home wasn’t about punishment. It wasn’t about consequences. It wasn’t about Nick Marshall at all—in a manner of speaking, at least.
The real reason Marshall is still at home is the whole reason the SEC was sending him to Hoover in the first place: the media. Marshall committed a crime, albeit a teeny tiny one, and now Auburn doesn’t want him to be asked about it. The move is equal parts genius and cowardice.
Malzahn is just being a good soldier by discussing the matter with reporters and telling everyone what a punishment it is for Marshall not to have to answer any questions about his most recent off-field incident. This so-called vacation, which Malzahn says Marshall lost the right to attend, represents the only time in the month of July for Auburn’s star quarterback to explain himself in front of cameras and tape recorders.
There is no reformer greater than recognition of personal accountability, which Auburn has denied this young man. Nick Marshall’s “punishment” involves running and hiding from his most recent transgressions under the allegedly stern gaze of his head coach.
No, this isn’t the worst crime ever. No, I’m not being flippant about the law, but there are a ton of worse things Marshall could have done. Honestly, it’s not really a huge deal—except that Malzahn and Auburn made it one by taking Marshall off the menu.
It was a brilliant move by Auburn that should work out in its favor. Marshall’s presence would have caused a disturbance that would have distracted from the Tigers’ SEC title defense. But it was also a spineless move that spared the school and the team while ignoring the best interest of a student-athlete who is obviously in need of some degree of guidance.
Next week, Jameis Winston—complete with well-founded rape allegations and a tape-recorded theft of crab legs—will descend upon Greensboro when the ACC does their version of the SEC’s shindig. It’s nice to see Florida State isn’t trying to hide him until the coast is clear, unlike some national title participants do with their returners at quarterback.
God Bless!
WQ