EDITORIAL: Athletes should not escape penalties

There should be consequences for actions. This, however, does not seem to be the view of USU football.

It has long been recognized that athletes receive special considerations not available to the student body at large. Whether it be generous scholarships or free handouts, athletes get special treatment in school and in society.

But athletes should not be given the impression that they can do anything without consequences. Six USU football players were arrested this summer on drug-related charges. All of them had to face the consequences handed down from the legal system. What they didn’t have to face was missing a game.

Officially the players faced “internal discipline.” One player was even expelled from the team, but the reason given was that he had repeatedly violated team rules. One player was suspended, but reinstated to full status after a few days when his felony drug dealing charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.

USU gave no indication that smoking or providing an illegal substance would carry any real consequences or impact on these athletes’ ability to play or be retained as part of the team. By giving the players who hadn’t had previous trouble what amounts to a tap on the wrist, the university is sending the message that actions do not have real-world consequences.

No games were missed by five of these players, no suspensions happened that affected anyone’s play, no fuss for any of these players for their illegal actions occurred. They will play on.

It’s disappointing that these athletes face no university discipline. The ability to play sports well should not excuse illegal actions. This lack of action tells others that they, too, are free to do as they wish, or, even worse, that athletes can act with impunity while those who can’t throw a ball must carry the full weight of the consequences of their decisions.