Look, I don't like to judge that much, but the fact that UW's football squad has had at least one run-in with Johnny Law in the past three years is becoming a bit of a black-eye.
First there was the infamous as well as not-police-involved \Shoe box"" scandal of 2000. Basically, what happened was some reporter for some crappy Wisconsin paper reported that UW athletes (but especially UW football athletes) were getting free shoes, t-shirts and hookers in exchange for UW athletes trading in their handguns.
This breaking news story blindsided the entire damn state of Wisconsin and everyone demanded to know, ""Why ain't I be getting free hookers or shoes or something from that dang store?""
Suspensions were handed out and Pat Richter said, ""Shame on you. But, hey, way to win the Rose Bowl. Here's some more free shoes.""
Later that same year, let's say in the fall, UW wide receiver Nick ""Danger"" Davis was busted by the boys in blue for trying to get a five-finger discount on a gigantic television. What apparently tipped the cops off was a tremendous bulge in Nick Davis' backpack as he left the electronics store. ""OK, Nick, son, please don't smuggle big- screen TVs in your backpack.""
Then that spring, Michael ""I'm not smart enough to graduate, so I'm going to go for the NFL Draft"" Bennett kicked in the door of some girl's apartment in the Regent. Charges were later dropped.
The only thing that happened last year that I can think to cite was the fact that Brooks Bollinger got punched in the face for some reason, and that there was a big fight on Langdon street that involved football players and mopeds.
This year so far is shaping up to be a classic year for cops who need UW football players autographs and/or fingerprints. The two instances involving Lee Evans and Anthony Davis over the weekend simply add fuel to the fire that UW is rapidly becoming the Florida State or Miami of the Big Ten. The only difference is that Florida State and Miami knew how to win national titles with their thug teams.
The worst part about the Lee Evans case is that he really is a seemingly decent guy who got caught with a petty amount of weed in his car. I mean, I know that it's a ""gateway drug"" and everything, but give me a break. Let's face it, no newspaper in the state would've picked up a piece on Jimmy Wisconsin who got caught by the Crappycity Police Department with charges of having on his person a dime sack with intent to smoke it.
The worst part of the past three years has been the complete lack of response from the UW athletics department or even from Barry Alvarez. After every situation, the only exception being the least legally binding, but most likely to get you in trouble with the NCAA (i.e. Shoebox,) the administration has said, ""Well, we want to look at all the facts before we do anything."" Which would be fine if they did anything once they looked at the facts. However, nothing has been done, it seems just as long as UW's football team manages a 1,000-yard rusher per year and at least makes it to a mediocre bowl game every couple of years everything is fine. But things are not fine. A collegiate athletic team is designed to promote teamwork and responsibility, not to allow athletes to duck charges, declare for the NFL draft and certainly not to be a revenue-generating gargantuan for the university.
