Published: August 04, 2008 11:30 pm         

OU's Stoops did the right thing

A laurel goes to Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops for his quick action in dismissing heralded freshman wide receiver Josh Jarboe from the team Friday.

Jarboe appeared in a 74-second, profanity-laced video in which he rapped about guns and shooting people. The video is circulating on the Internet and appears to have been filmed in a university athletic dormitory, according to wire reports.

That action in itself probably would have merited a reprimand, if not dismissal from the team.

However, the talented Jarboe came to Norman with baggage.

In March, he was arrested after an assistant principal at Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Ga., told a school police officer he saw Jarboe grab a gun from a car.

Jarboe was expelled from school but completed his high school degree online.

He pleaded guilty in late May in Georgia to charges of bringing a gun to school and carrying a pistol without a license. A judge reduced the charges to misdemeanors because Jarboe was a first-time offender and sentenced Jarboe to 2 years of probation and 80 hours of community service.

Stoops decided to let Jarboe remain on the team but issued a warning.

’We have already stressed to him that his citizenship is of the utmost importance. He understands that any less than exemplary behavior will not be tolerated.’’

Jarboe didn’t listen.

Rap music obviously is from a culture that I’m not familiar with.

But it does scare people when they see an OU football player talk about shooting people with guns.

As an OU graduate, I haven’t forgotten 1989 when Jerry Parks shot teammate Zarak Peters in the OU athletic dormitory.

That helped make OU the butt of many comedian’s jokes and did serious damage to the university’s reputation. It would help lead to coach Barry Switzer’s resignation.

This isn’t Shaquille O’Neal ripping ex-teammate Kobe Bryant in a rap tune.

Image is everything when you talk OU football.

Football is the most visible sport at OU. When a football player gets out of line, it’s a bad reflection on the university.

It can hurt OU president David Boren’s efforts in fundraising for academics and his ability to try to get a legislature, unfriendly to education already, to grant the university additional funding.

Oklahoma, as part of the Bible belt, has little tolerance for songs laced with profanity, let alone shooting people. It may be unfair, but it’s a fact of life.

Stoops was taking a chance in giving Jarboe a second opportunity. If Jarboe got in trouble again, Stoops would be feeling the heat. So would Boren.

A cancer can kill an athletic program. One bad apple can lead others on the wrong path. Hopefully, veteran players can take a troubled young man and put him on the right path.

OSU coach Mike Gundy deserved credit when he got rid of some of the Cowboys’ cancers a few years ago.

If Jarboe wasn’t a star athlete, he might be in jail today for the Georgia offense.

Stoops gave him a chance and Jarboe let it get away. Jarboe isn’t the first player to have done that, and it’s probably safe to say he won’t be the last. History is full of players who squandered opportunities.

Jarboe, hopefully, will find another school and take advantage of the opportunities. Let’s hope the next time we’re reading about him, it’s about him scoring touchdowns and not rapping about guns.



Campbell is a News & Eagle sports writer.