A squared plus A squared equals shenanigans

Michigan is on TV again (ESPN has the Big T1e1n contract), which means that they've been on TV more than the #1 team in the country. Ah, the joys of west coast broadcasting...

Anywho, Michigan's first TD was a reception by Adrian Arrington, which is interesting, given recent events. This week, A2 pleaded not guilty to a charge of domestic abuse stemming from an incident that occurred earlier in October.

The guys at Men of Scarlet and Grey help point out why this is so interesting.

Context:

Mario Manningham and Tyler Ecker get injured, are out for the Penn State and Iowa games (at least). As a result, UM is very thin at receivers. Arrington and Breaston will have to step up if UM has a chance to make it to Columbus undefeated. Penn State and Iowa are the two biggest games on the UM schedule leading up to OSU. Penn State in particular is a potential trap, being an away game at night in Beaver Stadium. After PSU & Iowa, UM has three cakewalk games leading up to the big showdown against OSU.

Sequence of events:

1. The day before the Penn State game, Arrington’s girlfriend calls 911 (Ypsilanti police respond).
2. Arrington plays at Penn State, getting 83 yards and a TD in a very close game against the Lions.
3. Arrington is arraigned.
4. Carr is “first informed” of the situation, during preparations for Iowa.
5. Carr “very carefully” investigates, determines that “the allegations are not supported by the facts.”
6. Internet threads and blogs break the news, with people wondering what Arrington was doing driving around drunk the day before the Penn State game, and questioning why Arrington is being allowed to play at all.
7. Crickets are heard chirping in Ann Arbor.
8. Arrington plays against Iowa, getting 8 catches for 79 yards in another close game.
9. 48 hours after the Iowa game, about 10 days after the initial call to 911, Carr says that the details regarding the incident are “a new issue,” and that it “will be handled internally.”
10. UM takes a breath, begins preparing for the weakest part of their schedule.
11. Arrington pleads not guilty, court date set for November 1.

And here he is, scoring the Wolverine's first TD against Northwestern.

Of course, this version of the story can be viewed as biased, given the source. For more commentary, check out these other sites:

Pfef's Sports Blog
MZone (comments, too)
BBC- Buckeye Battle Cry
MGoBlog
AOL
ESPN

Back to the MoSaG- They help put some perspective on this by comparing it to the situation that happened at Texas, where Mack Brown suspended a starting DB before the Ohio State game, even though he believed the student athlete would be exhonerated. While I believe firmly that students should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, I also believe that this learning happens with appropriate consequences in a timely fashion.

I also reflect on the continual accusations that OSU tends to look the other way (again, see any comment on the above boards), and remember that the starting QB (SfB) was benched for two games for an incident involving alcohol; one of these games was the first victory at Ann Arbor.

To be clear, I'm making any judgments, and am confident that Coach Carr will do what he deems best for the students he's entrusted with. I'm just noting change in attitudes when shoes are on other feet.