So, my flight landed at Hartsfield Jackson Airport, and I received a text from J.R. Suicide telling me that Jimmy Johns had been arrested for selling cocaine. I was pretty astonished by this bit of news, due to the fact that Johns, while having academic and on-field problems, had seemed to be free of trouble off the field. Like many Bama fans my initial reaction, after just saying "Damn," was to label Johns as a Shula recruit (which is true) but a bit of a copout. Shula is not responsible for Johns selling cocaine, nor is Nick Saban. Coaches can set rules for the team to follow and discipline athletes who choose to break the rules. In Johns' case, I must say that Saban's decision to immediately dismiss the player is the right thing to do at the time.

It's always a sad day to see a player destroy the chance to continue to play college football while earning a degree. Whether the football portion of the college experience lives up to the athlete's expectations can become a moot point if the student is able to obtain a diploma. Upstanding athletes who earn degrees allot themselves a chance at future success in later life. Clearly, the University of Alabama is embarrassed by the incident as is the program and its fans. But really, Johns is the person who will suffer the consequences of his actions as determined by the legal system. The whole situation is a total bummer.