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Dayum, folks. Give the guy a break!
I am the first to scream about how athletes get away with stuff and how academics is put on the back burner to athletics, and how too many athletes are there b/c of brawn instead of brains - and on a free ride when their brainier brothers can't get a scholarship, etc etc etc.
So I am no big supporter of athletes and colleges that are essentially breeding grounds for the NFL.
Having said all that . . . I can totally see how this would happen. HE WAS DISTRACTED!!!!! He got mobbed w/ folks asking for autographs and no doubt - snapping photos w/ their iPhones.
It was after the store closed that he realized his error. What was he supposed to do at that time of night? Go back to the store and try to tape some money to the door???? I mean . . . ??????
Dayum, folks. Give the guy a break!
I am the first to scream about how athletes get away with stuff and how academics is put on the back burner to athletics, and how too many athletes are there b/c of brawn instead of brains - and on a free ride when their brainier brothers can't get a scholarship, etc etc etc.
So I am no big supporter of athletes and colleges that are essentially breeding grounds for the NFL.
Having said all that . . . I can totally see how this would happen. HE WAS DISTRACTED!!!!! He got mobbed w/ folks asking for autographs and no doubt - snapping photos w/ their iPhones.
It was after the store closed that he realized his error. What was he supposed to do at that time of night? Go back to the store and try to tape some money to the door???? I mean . . . ??????
The article said he was "caught". The word caught doesn't make it sound like he realized his error and went back to explain or pay the bill. Could you see yourself walking out of a store carrying 3-4 pounds of seafood? Heck, the stuff gives off an odor to remind you it's there and crab legs are over 1 foot long and awkwardly shaped!! I've never accidentally walked out of a store with merchandise in my hand.
I heard when he was issued the citation he pulled the ole, "do you know who I am" routine. If I was the officer, I would have said "yea, I do, a common worthless thief, those $32 in crag legs probably just cost you a $10,000,000 signing bonus with some NFL team next year, which also makes you a fool in addition to being a thief, now have a nice day, SON."
The article said he was "caught". The word caught doesn't make it sound like he realized his error and went back to explain or pay the bill. Could you see yourself walking out of a store carrying 3-4 pounds of seafood? Heck, the stuff gives off an odor to remind you it's there and crab legs are over 1 foot long and awkwardly shaped!! I've never accidentally walked out of a store with merchandise in my hand.
Have you ever been to a public place were everybody is asking you for your autograph?
Have you ever been to a public place were everybody is asking you for your autograph?
I don't see how this would make him leave a store with merchandise in hand. How many people could've possibly been in the store to surround him? 15 maybe 20 that actually want his autograph? And even if it was the most crowded grocery store in America and 100 people surrounded him...why not put down the crab legs or say "Ok folks, nice to meet y'all but I need to pay for my stuff real quick"?
Your possible excuse does not pass the smell test.
I don't mind the crime nearly as much as I mind the signed statement (supposedly written by Winston) that was released later.
"As reported in the news, last night I received an adult citation for petit theft from a local supermarket. I went to the supermarket with the intent to purchase dinner but made a terrible mistake for which I'm taking full responsibility. In a moment of youthful ignorance, I walked out of the store without paying for one of my items.
I realize that I am in the public spotlight and my conduct needs to be above reproach. Over the last year I've learned that my accomplishments on the fields can be a wonderful thing for my school, teammates, friends and family. At the same time, I must realize that my mistakes are magnified and can bring great embarrassment to all those who support me every day.
I make no excuses for my actions and will learn and grow from this unfortunate situation. I hope and pray my friends and family will view me as the 20 year old young man that I am, and support me through this unfortunate situation. I am grateful to be able to participate in the adult citation program where I will complete community service."
"A moment of youthful ignorance"? He's TWENTY YEARS OLD. My five-year-old nephew is not ignorant of the fact that we pay for what we take from stores. I just love how the statement dissembles further by calling this "petit theft" an "unfortunate situation" and a "terrible mistake," as if it's not something he had control over. I also had to laugh at how we are reminded, just in case we forgot, that he has "accomplishments on the fields [which] can be a wonderful thing for my school, teammates, friends and family." Note the use of the plural "fields," so you remember he plays baseball as well as football. Again, self-centered rationalizing. If I thought he wrote that himself (and I surely do not), I'd say he should be examined for sociopathology.
I hereby request permission to revive that expression from the '80s. "Gag me with a spoon."
I hereby request permission to revive that expression from the '80s. "Gag me with a spoon."
Wow. I'm not sure who's worse...the athlete or the person that wrote that pile of damage control feces. It would be nice if we could push a reality button and get a "real" statement. Maybe it would be something like "Yeah man, I took it cause I ain't have nothin' but $25 in my account and I was cravin' some crab legs...it is what it is".
Wow. I'm not sure who's worse...the athlete or the person that wrote that pile of damage control feces. It would be nice if we could push a reality button and get a "real" statement. Maybe it would be something like "Yeah man, I took it cause I ain't have nothin' but $25 in my account and I was cravin' some crab legs...it is what it is".
No kidding! There isn't a sports pro alive who can write (or speak) that coherently. That's scum lawyer speak, start to finish.
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