RB Jaamal Berry (official thread)

[MililaniBuckeye]

Originally Posted by goblue15

Fact is these kids just graduated high school and I can almost guarantee you if you drug tested every incoming freshman class half of the kids would test positive for maryjane.

Sorry, I don't buy that for a picosecond. I went through high school in the early '70s back when "everyone" was smoking pot and in actuality no where near half were tokin'...

[614]

Learn from your mistake

Keep the kid around...I'm excited to see him play this fall

[FrancisSawyer]

I think the fact that this is a felony offense makes it seem worse. Here is a link to Marijuana related laws by state. In most states this would have been a misdemeanor. I think he deserves a second chance. I also think he should be on very thin ice for at least a year.

[WyoBuck]

Originally Posted by UpNorthBuckeye

I still say cut him loose. One reason I haven't mentioned yet is this: you have to get (or keep) control of your program.

The best thing that could come out of cutting him loose would be the message it sends to the other 150 (or however many) associated with the team.

Now I don't think Alabama is the world's worst place, but sportswriters are jumping all over them now, because of kids getting free BOOKS.

If Tressel lets Berry skate, then it's someone else, someone else, and they bring up the stuff that happened last year, and before you know it we are being called a "program out of control". that's what pains me.

Jaamal could make it somewhere else. If we are concerned about the kid, then this is a good lesson. This is good for him. Not throwing the baby out with the bath water, we are just teaching him rules are rules, not suggestions.

What about the 100+ kids who are keeping their noses clean?

So sure, I made HUNDREDS of mistakes when I was young, and the times I learned lessons were when I caught trouble for what I did, not when I was allowed to skate by.

And the worst thing that could happen is that it sends the WRONG message.

I think the objective in any repercussions that he may face is to teach a lesson. Should that lesson be that there are NO second chances under any circumstance? Doubt anyone here would agree with that. I don't think that it shows weakness or an inability on the part of the staff to maintain control of the program to make sure that the punishment fits the crime. In fact, I would say that they have an obligation as teachers to do just that. Keep in mind, he is going to recieve his punishment, no matter what. From the State of Florida. I wonder if going as far as kicking him off the team for one transgression, albeit a big one, might not also send the message of being overly reactive by unnecessarily "piling on".

I think a better lesson would be that, you now have to work that much harder to accomplish what you want to do, but we're going to give you the opportunity to be a man, and prove yourself capable of doing the work that's going to get you where you want to be. If you can't be a man, then, be a kid somewhere else, but we're going to give you the chance to redeem yourself.

None of us here have all of the facts on this matter. So, discussing what is going to happen is probably moot. None of us have any input into this, so why don't we just trust the coaches on this one.

[Buckskin86]

Berry: An honest man
Give Jaamal Berry this much credit: He's honest.

I just received the arrest report from Miami, and Berry was alone in his car and had run a red light when he was stopped at 12:10 a.m.

The officer noticed a bag of marijuana in plain view on the backseat. Berry said he had bought the drugs about an hour earlier and had planned to smoke it with some friends.

There was no attempt to say it wasn't his, or to play dumb.

The amount listed is +/- 28 grams, officially. 28 grams is just about an ounce.

Berry: An honest man (Blogging the Buckeyes)

[Steve19]

This was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Incredibly stupid.


Now, let the first one of us who did nothing stupid before turning 21 please make the next judgmental post about a kid that they never met.

[Buckeneye]

I'd prefer to be around a man honest about his deed's then one who is willing to do anything to conceal the truth.


I doubt he's a bad kid, and since I know what I was doing just shortly after graduating high school most anybody should be given a 2nd chance without too much hesitation. Just clean it up, take the punishment in stride and grow with the experience. Nothing to crucify the young man for.

[RugbyBuck]

Cliche as it is to say, mistakes really are opportunities. Yes, this was absurdly stupid, but, it was only around an ounce AND if being caught up in this now (rather than after getting to tOSU and possibly engaging in more severe conduct) allows him to get his act together, it may turn out to have been a good thing.

[Poe McKnoe]

Originally Posted by Buckskin86

Berry: An honest man (Blogging the Buckeyes)

More importantly Ken, what kind of car was he driving?

It's hard to have a felon on the team. Assuming it gets dropped to a lesser charge, give him another chance. If it sticks...ehhhh, it can't stick, right? From the several sources I've seen (won't go there), he seems like a good kid. Maybe a little stupider* than other people, but no worse.

Maybe we should be more worried about him being 5'8"!?

(*I say that to this situation)

[Buckeye86]

Originally Posted by Steve19

Now, let the first one of us who did nothing stupid before turning 21 please make the next judgmental post about a kid that they never met.

if it has been erased from your record it's like it never happened right??

[powerlifter]

Originally Posted by MililaniBuckeye

Sorry, I don't buy that for a picosecond. I went through high school in the early '70s back when "everyone" was smoking pot and in actuality no where near half were tokin'...

There's no comparison of what goes on in high school right now to that. I'm not trying to disrespect you by any means,but pain pills/nerve pills etc etc..is also running rampant in high schools. Times have changed for the worse...How many 13 year old's were pregnant,when you went to high school?

The fact that he had that much on him is kinda scary imo..The fact that he just had it laying in his backseat for plain viewing is even scarier.

[OregonBuckeye]

The "no tolerance" crowd drives me crazy. I've never met Jamaal but he seems like he couldn't be a nicer kid. Always has a bright smile. And no one's brought up prior convictions so I'm assuming this is his first offense. To take away his schollie is pretty heartless, IMO.

EDIT- Saw in the rumor mill he was charged with loitering.

[SayNoToMichigan]

People need to chill. I agree with goblue, if you tested the whole 2009 recuiting class I would wager more then 30% would test posititve.

[MaxBuck]

Of all the silly reasons for saying Berry should be kicked out of the program, we now have, "because everyone will say our program is out of control."

Who cares what "everyone" says? Thank God we have a head coach whose primary concern is with the welfare of the individual, then the welfare of the team, and way far down the list the prejudices and opinions of the man on the street.

[MililaniBuckeye]

Not sure how anyone can say that Jaamal's actions are any indication whatsoever of our program, i.e., being "out of control", seeing as he technically isn't even in our program yet. Now once he sets foot on campus and becomes an OSU student and a member of the football team, then his actions could be deemed reflective of the program...but not until then.