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Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Junk Justice, Athlete Pandering help accused felon Reuben Houston play for Georgia Tech

Nothing erodes confidence in the American Justice system faster than when athletes and celebrities get preferential treatment. In a ghastly and grotesque parody of "justice," Superior Court Judge M. Gino Brogdon ordered Georgia Tech to reinstate cornerback Reuben Houston to the football team even though he is facing felony drug charges and was suspended from the team for the season. Houston was arrested June 21 in Atlanta in connection with a pot distrinbution ring based in California.

As a sports society, we were just starting to get somewhere. Steroid cheaters were finally about to face the music more severely than ever before, self-indulgent "ballers" with street attitude and little regard for such niceties as manners and responsibility were finally becoming exposed for the frauds they are and teams finally began drawing lines in the sand regarding runaway contracts.

So much for progress. Congratulations Judge...you just "set the way back machine" for "dark ages." Thank you judge for showing us that, at least in your courtroom, rules are for chumps and that talent at football is more important than respect for the law and being a decent upstanding member of society. Oh well...AT LEAST NOW GEORGIA TECH HAS A MARGINALLY BETTER CHANCE OF KNOCKING OFF MIAMI IN THE BIG GAME THIS SATURDAY. It would save the team's season wouldn't it? Knocking off a rival that still has an outside chance of getting to the title game...sure would help recruiting and booster donations too. All hail Lord Football.

Interestingly, even though he now has his starting cornerback back for the game, Ga Tech's AD still was sufficiently outraged to note "This decision will send shock waves through college athletic programs around the country. We must be able to set standards of conduct for our student athletes and enforce and maintain discipline."

Those are crocodile tears if ever I saw. Let's see what he says it Houston runs a pick-six back for the winning score. Isn't it great when goliath (the big universities) finds itself in a win-win situation...

Earlier this year, New York City sitting federal court Judge Shira Scheindlin issued an equally disappointing decision when she ruled that Maurice Clarett could enter the NFL draft despite an age restriction. She was quickly reversed.