Millions of little boys grow up wanting to play as a professional athlete in the NFL, the NHL or as an MLB player. It breaks a parent’s heart when they know that they have to somehow adjust their child’s expectations before shattering their dream with the knowledge that a very small percentage of kids have the opportunity to make it all the way. So when a child grows up to have that chance, it is something that they want to fight for.
Boys who grow to be young men and make it on the starting line-up of the Georgia Bulldogs are some of the few who are lucky enough to have a real shot at the NFL — that is unless something gets in the way. A UGA star player was recently let go from the team and could face up to a 10-year jail sentence after being accused of weapons offenses related to an on-campus stop.
The young man was driving his car on campus when he pulled up to a vehicle checkpoint. When an officer asked him to roll down the window, the officer claimed that he smelled marijuana and asked to search the vehicle. During the search, a gun was found under the driver’s seat. When officers saw that the gun’s ID had been altered, they immediately arrested him.
Although a gun under a driver’s seat may seem like a case closed, there are many things to consider — most importantly remembering the “innocent until proven guilty” motto the justice system was based on. Did the driver know the gun was there? Who else was in the vehicle at the time? How could the officer have smelled marijuana when none was found on a person or in the car? Did the officer really have probable cause to search the vehicle?
All these questions and more need to be answered and considered to put on a meaningful defense with the assistance of an experienced defense attorney. Not only could a conviction cost the football player money, a mark on his permanent record or immediate loss of his freedom, but failing to fight the charges could literally mean the end of his career.
Source: Examiner, “UGA’s Crowell dismissed from team following arrest,” Matthew Asher, June 29, 2012