This is not the University of Miami, with its reputation for having football players more familiar to police officers than the employees of the local doughnut shop. This is not the University of Texas, which seems to be trying to entice the Cincinnati Bengals to draft its players by having many of them get arrested.
Someone needs to get that message to Kellen Tillman.
After Lubbock police arrested the Tech linebacker Monday and charged him with possession of marijuana, coach Mike Leach swiftly responded by removing Tillman from the team until the investigation reveals all the facts. Leach said he does not want any distractions for his team.
Excuse me for a moment while I stand and applaud our football coach.
First of all, let me say that I hope Tillman can work through these charges and come out with a valuable experience. My only wish is that he was not a senior so I could wish him best of luck on the field for the Red Raiders next year. Since he is in his final year of eligibility, however, I grudgingly want to wave goodbye to Tillman and thank him heartily for the plays he did make for the team.
Leach did the right thing. This is the second time Tillman has received a suspension from the coaching staff. According the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, the first suspension kept him out of the game against Northwestern (La.) State on unrelated disciplinary issues.
As much as it may look detrimental to the team to no longer have the senior linebacker on the field, a culture of discipline outweighs the loss of any individual player in the long run.
In all honesty, losing Tillman will not hurt the Tech defense in the grand scheme of things. While I maintain he is extremely athletic and proven to be one of the better tacklers on the team, Tillman's absence gives way to younger players who can be a part of a new defensive culture at Texas Tech - one led by a new defensive coordinator.
Redshirt freshman Brian Duncan will start in the linebacker position and will most likely be substituted from time-to-time by true freshman Bront Bird.
Ask any student on campus what he or she thinks the Tech football team needs to improve most. Ninety-nine times out of 100, you will hear the same response - defense.
If interim coordinator Ruffin McNeil is going to take advantage of the extended job terview that is the next few weeks of Big 12 Conference play, he needs to show he can take young players and mold them into the core of a new defensive unit with a new mind set. The culture of a dominant offense compensating for weaker defense must change.
Tillman's legal problems should send a warning to any athlete - or young person in general - that an individual's choices in his or her personal life can have massive repercussions in their professional life.
In no way am I comparing Tillman's misdemeanor charge to the greater problems facing Atlanta Falcon's quarterback Michael Vick, but one cannot deny that athletes seem to be getting more coverage when the only person wearing a uniform is the officer making the arrest.
I hope for nothing but the best for Tillman and hope he can put this issue behind him and get back onto the field soon. I hope this is all nothing more than a misunderstanding. Until we know for sure, however, the image of our very own Mike Leach standing shoulder-to-shoulder with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in enforcing higher standards for our athletes is one we all should admire.
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