College Athletes: Taking advantage of their fame

Today I read on MSN that another college basketball player has been arrested.  This time its Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who was arrested for marijuana possession.  What is with college athletes thinking that they can do what ever they want and it will be alright and since they are big stars, there won't be any consequences.  Granted lately that is exactly how it seems to me, I see players who are reinstated into teams after violating rules like Tyshawn Taylor, it just seems like we need to hold our athletes to higher standards not lower.  Yes they are celebrities on campus and can get what ever girl they want just by turning their heads and pointing.  This will happen when they go into the pro's but these athletes should also understand that there are children who look up to them and use them as role models.  We should be paying more attention to the athletes who stay all four years and get their degree's and who fulfill all of their obligations to their team and school.  One big example of someone who used their second chance to become a leader and to prove to his school and community that he deserved the second chance was Brady Morningstar, who had made a huge mistake and was suspended for entire semester.  He took his second chance and became a player and person that the rest of the Kansas team could look up to. You also had Tyrel Reed on the Kansas team who is a solid 3 point shooter but who ended up graduating early and got accepted to grad school for Physical therapy.  These are the types of athletes people need to look up to, not players who get arrested.

My favorite players on basketball teams are usually never the stars but players who understand that they can be highly effective being the help.  In college basketball this season my favorite players were Tyrel Reed, Tyler Zeller, though granted he is a star but he also helped out and never made the game about himself, and Brady Morningstar.  If we go back in time I love Tyler Hansbrough, Chris Andersen, and others who play the way that these men play, athletes who understand it is about the team and not themselves.  I fee like these men would never take advantage of their fame and will work towards making their team better and not worse.  I just don't understand how athletes who get it all still seem to think that they deserve more and are above the law.  Look at Cam Newton, who left Florida amid some scandal, nothing touches him and I feel that he should be held accountable as it makes college athletics look bad not just the player themselves.

I hope you enjoyed this post and keep reading my love affair with sports.