[UT football player Austin] Johnson, who was charged for public intoxication and disorderly conduct [Sunday], apparently was trying to pick a fight and was also “hitting parked cars.” Johnson told Knoxville police that he was drunk.
There’s something sad about the futility there – Johnson couldn’t find a person to fight, so he started hitting huge pieces of metal instead.
July 31st, 2011 at 7:07AM
no one cares about how these kids came to have such rage and as long as it serves the interests of sports/money they will be carefully protected from any of the reality-checks that might lead them to help for it, and then of course on the other side of their athletic lives they are left to live with it on their own, gods help them and us. In some broad ways not so different from military vets in civilian life.
July 31st, 2011 at 7:35AM
dmf: I also think about drugs – steroids, etc. – and their contribution to the free-floating rage. But yes – of course – one of the beauties about universities with essentially professional sports teams is that they have the same incentive the pros do to cultivate really angry and aggressive people in their midst.
July 31st, 2011 at 8:46AM
At least professional athletes get money for their rage… these kids mostly just get damage.
August 1st, 2011 at 6:59AM
really angry and aggressive people?
Do you suppose our English department should field a team?