Carolina running back responds to pot charge
South Carolina freshman running back Ben Axon was arrested in late May for that second-most common of offenses for guys in the late teens, possession of marijuana. Back home in Manatee County, Fla., he was booked into the hoosegow for possession with intent to sell.
Now, it’s our contention that the bar for “intent to sell” can be set quite low at times, especially for something as relatively harmless as weed. According to a report printed by The State:
Police reports say an officer pulled over a vehicle in the 200 block of 11th Avenue West and smelled an odor of marijuana. Axon was in the back seat.
The officer asked the driver if there was anything illegal in the vehicle and he responded no. The officer then asked Axon if he had anything illegal on him and he told the officer he did.
Axon gave the officer marijuana divided into 23 small bags and said the marijuana was his, the police report said.
Hey, these things happen. We don’t have a problem with a player getting picked up on a pot charge — we have more of a problem with players constantly getting in trouble because of weed. As in, you had a chance to help yourself out and make sure you could keep playing top-level football, and decided that the sticky icky was more important.
On Aug. 2, Axon responded to the issue, writing a comment to the post with, sigh, all caps.
I THINK ITS TIME FOR ALL THE GAMECOCKS FAN TO KNOW THE REAL STORY LETS JUST SAY MY SISTER IS RIGHT I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN TROUBLE AND I WILL NEVER BE AGAIN I JUST WANNA TAKE EVERYONE BACK TO THAT NIGHT I NEVER SAID THE WEED WAS MINE AND IM NOT A DRUG DEALER PEOPLE JUST THINK IAM BEACUSE I HAVE DREADS AND TATS BUT BESIDES THAT I NEVER HAD ANYTHING ON ME BASICLY I WENT TO JAIL FOR NOTHING YEAH IT WAS WEED IN THE CAR BUT I DIDNT KNOW TO THE LAST MINUTE I WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME IN THE CAR WITH THREE FELONS BUT BUT I KNEW THEM SINCE THE THIRD GRADE ITS AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE SAY BUT I LOOKED PASTED THAT FOR YOU ALL THAT DONT KNOW ME PLEASE DONT LEAVE NASTY COMMENTS THE AREA THAT I LIVE IN IS TERRIBLE DRUG, GUNS, FIGHTS, EVERYDAY I HEARD ABOUT THE CORY BOYD STORY MY STORY IS TENS TIMES WORST ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD OR IN PRISON I NEVER WANTED TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION SO I STARTED PLAYING FOOTBALL IVE SEEN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU GUYS SEE ON TV BUT ONLY IN REAL LIFE I LIVE ON THE WORST STREET IN TOWN EVERY EVERY WERE I GO I SEE POLICE CAR I SEEN MY FRIEND GET KILLED I WATCHED HIM LAY THERE HELPLESS WITH A GUN SHOT WOUND TO THE HEAD ALL IM SAYN IS THAT I LEARNED MY LESSON AND ALL I WANNA DO IS PLAY BALL PLEASE EXCEPT ME I WONT MESS UP AGAIN EVERYBODY THAT KNOWS ME KNOW THAT IM NOT A BAD GUY WELL I LEAVE FOR SCHOOL THIS WEDNESDAY IM READY TO START OVER AND IM NOT A BAD PERSON
If you believe everything written in a police report, you’re a fool. Some law enforcement agencies are very ethical and go by the books. Some are so horrible to the point that every conviction should be thrown out. We’re more than willing to give Axon another chance. How many of you can say you didn’t fuck up really bad a time or two? Then, how many of you had to deal with cops that didn’t give you a break?
Really, anytime we hear from a football guy, “All I want to do is play ball,” it tugs at us. For a segment of Alabamians, Paul W. Bryant is damn close to Jesus Christ (or, for Jewish residents of the Yellowhammer State, Moses). The Bear didn’t have the cleanest life growing up in abject poverty in Arkansas, but like those before him and after him, used football as a way out of his situation. He partied, he caroused, he fought, but he also was disciplined when it came to playing football and getting his degree.
Axon is young and deserves to be able to get back to work, get to his studies and keep it up on the ball field. We’re hopeful that he has a good time at Carolina. Except when he plays Alabama.
