RUMOR REVEALED

[kdog27]

-- except for maybe Brother Jed.

Does that guy still come around? I loved those people. Even Jesus would be a sinner walking by him.

[factman]

Does anyone actually know what the "team rules" are regarding illegal drugs? I know of at least one sport that it is very clear, that if you are caught with or doing illegal drugs, you are finished........no questions ask or answered!

[Schadenfreude]

I would love to see proof of BGEV's post . . . .

Almost impossible to prove. A person I trust on this issue doesn't believe it to be true at all.

On the other hand, I'm no more objective than anyone else. Objectivity is tough on this kind of an issue.

This is a fact, I think: The perception is there.

In fact, I seem to remember hearing (reading here?) that Gregg Brandon was actually going to bat for a player or players on this very issue.

So, yes, the perception is out there.

[Germainfitch1]

Unfortunately, the City Police in BG really give the black athletes a hard time. Some will not drive in town because they want to avoid the hassel. I am not trying to dismiss what may have happened, but if you talk to many of the athletes this is a too common complaint. They stoped a football player last week for an illegal right turn and it ended up in the same charge.

If this is true than it is good they stopped him becuase he was driving impaired. You make it sound like a bad thing he was caught. Racial prejudice is bad. But in this case they caught someone breaking the law.

Besides, BG is not so big that you can't get high as a kite and walk nearly anywhere. I love germain fitch but for gosh sakes walk!

[cowboyjoe]

Why did he even let his friend have the stuff around him in the car? That's the mistake he made.

[Metz]

This one's for you, Grant. Apologies in advance to offended parties.


"I'll bet it was that Sworden kid's pot"

I only tell you not to say things like that because I do enough of it. For instance, pretty much all of today I blammed him for our suckage at WMU. I told him if he wouldn't have jumped on Fitch, Fitch would have never got upset and started using drugs. Then he'd be here tonight and we'd be winning. I went on with about 15 other reasons it's his fault so I give him enough crap for everyone! But yeah, what you said was funny!!

[golfertk14]

Unfortunately, the City Police in BG really give the black athletes a hard time. Some will not drive in town because they want to avoid the hassel. I am not trying to dismiss what may have happened, but if you talk to many of the athletes this is a too common complaint. They stoped a football player last week for an illegal right turn and it ended up in the same charge.

If this is true than it is good they stopped him becuase he was driving impaired. You make it sound like a bad thing he was caught. Racial prejudice is bad. But in this case they caught someone breaking the law.

Besides, BG is not so big that you can't get high as a kite and walk nearly anywhere. I love germain fitch but for gosh sakes walk!

Are they really harder on blacks in the BGPD? Maybe they should listen to that ad WBGU always has going on:

(Abridged)

"So what's the baby's name?"
"Ummm...it's one of THOSE names"
"Excuse me?"
"You know Shaquida, Falida, Jaquina, Maquida. Why do black people LIKE those kinds of names anyways? They just make it harder on themselves, you know what I mean?"
"No Kristen..I DON'T know what you mean...."

[BG EV]

It's just a perception, but I have heard it more than once. Specifically the BG City Police and again it is just a perception.

The incident involved student/athlete who was driving a borrowed car. He was stopped for a right turn violation, turns out the car's registration was expired, so the driver was searched and they found weed in his pocket.

Regret bringing this whole thing up. The student happens to be a friend and he has really screwed up his future by having this on his record. I am personnally very upset and concerned for him.

[PGY Tiercel]

It's just a perception, but I have heard it more than once. Specifically the BG City Police and again it is just a perception.

The incident involved student/athlete who was driving a borrowed car. He was stopped for a right turn violation, turns out the car's registration was expired, so the driver was searched and they found weed in his pocket.

Regret bringing this whole thing up. The student happens to be a friend and he has really screwed up his future by having this on his record. I am personnally very upset and concerned for him.

That all seems reasonable procedure to me. Cops are hard on everyone in the town. You are more likely to get pulled over if you are riding a motorcycle in BG then driving a car. Guess your just mad that he caught with the weed then actually having it.

[tsschica18]

Messin with drugs is gonna screw his life up big...he shouldn't have put himself in that situation no matter what the case is. Fitch had his career as a coach layed out on a silver platter and he knew that he shouldn't have been screwing around with that crap...let alone driving.

GO FALCONS!!!

[BleedOrange]

It kills me to see a kid get in trouble over something so harmless. He isn't doing anything many, many other college students don't do.

I'm sorry to say this to you BleedOrange but that is one of the most idiotic comments I have heard.

It does not matter what many other college students are doing or what you perceive to be harmless. It is alleged that he was in possession of something that is against the law.

"Against the law". Gasp! Have you ever broke the speed limit? Have you ever drank underage? Have you ever crossed the line in any way? Do you have any experience in real life? By the sound of your post, I have more life experience at 37 than you'll take to the grave. The marijuana laws are what's idiotic, and I hate to see Germain Fitch, being who he is and after all that he's been through, be ruined by a little marijuana in his car.

HOWEVER, I must admit that I'm very floored by all of this. I've always figured that most level-headed upperclassmen take extra steps to stay clean, if only for pragmatic reasons. What WAS he doing out that late on a weeknight driving erratically? When his friend pulls out the weed, why wouldn't he say "Hey man, I really can't have you doing that in my car. You know my situation. C'MON!"

Young guys make mistakes, take bad risks, use bad judgement. Given the facts, even the most lenient interpretation makes him look foolish. Why would he mess around and risk throwing away all of his excrutiatingly hard work. Germain will ideally receive a good, HARD kick in the rear, learn, and then return to the team.

DuBrey Black was supposedly thrown off the team for marijuana, but does anybody have direct knowledge of the full set of particulars? Maybe Black's expulsion was due to marijuana AND a list of other things that added up? I'm curious.

[It's the Journey...]

"Against the law". Gasp! Have you ever broke the speed limit? Have you ever drank underage? Have you ever crossed the line in any way? Do you have any experience in real life? By the sound of your post, I have more life experience at 37 than you'll take to the grave. The marijuana laws are what's idiotic, and I hate to see Germain Fitch, being who he is and after all that he's been through, be ruined by a little marijuana in his car.

Wow, quite judgemental for someone you obviously don't know. This point is he broke the law and got caught doing it. Transfer was not claiming or even implying he has never done anything against the law. We have all done things that are not up to par, but didn't always get caught. Unfortunently Germain did and now he will have to deal with whatever consequences come his way.

[Flipper]

Morally, I don't have much of an issue with people "sparking one", so I'm not going to judge that aspect of this story. Intellectually, I don't think I've ever done anything quite as thick headed, so I'm comfortable calling Fitch a "dumbass."

I still feel very badly for him though.

[OptionQB]

For those of us that grew up in NW Ohio and had the pleasure of watching WBL (Lima-area extended) football . . . St. Mary's Memorial's legendary coach Skip Baughman might have said it best "You can't win with dumbasses or fatasses"

[Flipper]

I was wrong...I have done somethimng dumber than what Fitch has been accused of. I onced tried to negotiate a turn with a posted limit of 40 mph while doing 80 mph. I spun out on gravel, crossed two lanes of traffic and went into a series of rolls. The car went off the road pointing east and came to a rest on it's roof pointing west.

Fitch probably lost his schollie, his spot on the team and some esteem in the eyes of the community. I could have been killed, so I guess I was dumber.

I guess I just feel badly for him