Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and an open container violation early Sunday morning in Gainesville, FL.Noah, the 2006 Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and part of the Florida Gators back-to-back national championship teams in 2006 and 2007, was found carrying an amber-colored liquid in a cup with ice while walking in the city's downtown area. After being brought to the police annex to be charged and served a notice to appear in court, the Gainesville Police Department also found a marijuana cigarette in his pocket.
It is tough to argue the marijuana charge, but the original stop for the open container violation is quite ridiculous. As a former University of Florida student, I have seen dozens (if not hundreds) of students stopped for open container violations both downtown and on campus. When those stops occurred, as long as the student cooperated, the usual punishment was for the drink to be discarded and to expect a stern warning from the officer.
I'm not suggesting Noah receive any special treatment, simply fair treatment that a normal student (Noah is in town taking classes toward his degree) would receive. But, let's be honest, this happened in Gainesville. Give the guy a free pass and move on. He was on foot, by himself, not causing any problems. Then again, it is the end of the month and there are few students in town...perhaps it was a quota situation?
No comments:
Post a Comment