Sunday, June 3, 2012

Should We Worry About Will Campbell?

I've decided to give the subject of Will Campbell's arrest and arraignment a couple days before I addressed the issue. One, because I didn't know the full extent of what happened, and two, because there are always more details that emerge days after this type of incident, not right after. OK, so basically here's the legal verbage of what occurred:

Records show Campbell was arraigned Thursday by a Washtenaw County magistrate on the felony charge — malicious destruction of property worth more than $1,000 but less than $20,000 — and misdemeanor charge — malicious destruction of property worth more than $200 but less than $1,000. He was given a $10,000 personal recognizance bond. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $2,000 fine.

So there are two vandalism charges, one of them a felony. Yet, what actually happened? From what I've read he caused damage to the hood of a car by sliding over it. Yes, that's right. A Dukes of Hazzard move. Now, I'm not a physics expert or anything, but when a man of Campbell's size, which is 322 pounds, attempts to slide over a car hood...that hood is not going to come out of it unscathed. The other fact that he was intoxicated at the time, I believe, shows a severe lack of judgment.

The problem as I see it is this: Campbell was set to take over Mike Martin's spot as nose tackle on the interior defensive line. He was more than likely supposed to have stepped up and show some of those leadership skills like we were all hoping to see. Maybe even he thought he might've tried to show our DL will not lose a step with him in charge. Now, I have less faith in that. I do believe he'll be able to showcase more of the skills we've been waiting to see since he was a 5* player coming out of high school. Will Hoke show some mercy on him and not punish him very hard through his own measures? I'd like to think so.

Bottom line, Campbell did screw up. Now, sliding across some other guy's hood and causing "malicious" damage is overstating it a bit. Now drinking while doing that, that's a whole other issue. I do think Campbell will be thoroughly chastised for this, as he should be. I just hope in the upcoming season I see more maturity from him as well.

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