It just gets weirder: An assistant coach was also busted along with star quarterback Roy Hampton. Offensive backs coach Mike Burton “was charged with interfering with the duties of a public servant” stemming from Hampton’s arrest. He was released on $1500 bond.
You can look at this a few ways, but my head hurts just thinking about it. Trinity still hasn’t decided what to do, though Hampton did not participate in yesterday’s practice. At this point, whatever happens, happens.
On the brighter side, the Chron has a nice feature story on the Trinity football team today. It’s important to remember that in Division III, there are no athletic scholarships. Athletes truly are regular students in every way. In my mind, that makes the sustained success of schools like Mount Union and more recently Trinity even more astonishing.
I heard from an old classmate today, a woman who was the editor in chief of the Trinitonian during my sophomore year when I joined the staff as a sports writer and later sports columnist (that was the original “Off the Kuff”). She and her husband (the sports editor that year) will be attending the Stagg Bowl on Saturday. We remember the football team as being hapless losers – in fact, after a winless season in (I think) 1986, some people were calling for the program to be abolished. Now it’s going to be on ESPN2 playing for a national championship. Wow.
And that’s what really upsets me about the whole Roy Hampton thing. I’m not mad at a 23-year-old kid for committing the sin of excessive celebration, but I am sorry that what he did is casting a shadow over the accomplishments of him and his teammates. They deserve a fair shot at winning, but we all know about life and fairness. I’ll settle for a fair judgment from the administration and go from there.
Oh, by the way: GO TIGERS!
Charles,
When did you graduate Trinity? I am a rising Junior there, wrote as a sports reporter my freshman year, and will take up the position again this year. I too, was deeply dismayed at what Hampton’s actions cost the team. They basically ended up looking like a big joke in the championship, even though they appeared primed for Trinity’s fourth national championship at the DIII level. I would like to speak to you sometime if possible. Please contact me at the e-mail above.