Before I go on this rant I just want to say that I hope Todd Kelley Jr. is, and will remain ok. I'm don't live in Knoxville and hang out with our players, I just follow the program and keep up with everything the same way a lot you do. This sounds like a scary situation, and anytime someone says they're going to kill themselves and then immediately falls off a 30 foot wall is not good. At all. I hope TK Jr. knows his value as a person and doesn't do anything like this ever again.
Now, from a football standpoint, the success of the TEAM far outweighs the success of an INDIVIDUAL. I kind of touched on this with Jennings a couple days ago. I'm sick and tired of UT players going out and doing stupid s*** to the detriment of the football team with little or no consequences. Would Jennings & Kelley help our football team next year? No doubt. They'd both contribute and probably make some big plays for us, and I honestly hope they're both here playing football in the Fall, as long as they know that they, and every other UT player, needs to toe the line or get out of here.
At what point do we need to draw a line in the sand and say this is not ok for a UT football player? I know Jennings is talented, but from what I read he was pretty much the definition of a bad teammate this past year. Kelley is talented, and by all accounts is a great person. But then this happened. Jealousy issues turns into borderline domestic assault turns into may or may not have been an attempted suicide. And both of these players are/will be Seniors on our team and should want to be a leader for all of the younger players on our roster.
I think one thing we learned about our team last year is that not one player is good enough to single handedly carry our team to victory. Not even close. Right now at this moment, there are no Peyton Mannings, Al Wilsons, or Eric Berrys on our roster. Yes we have talent, but it is largely unfulfilled.
Playing for UT is a privilege. You get a full scholarship, a free college education and degree (as long as you go to class), and have a chance to perform in the SEC and potentially get drafted into the NFL. UT players and coaches are the face of not only the University, but the entire State of Tennessee as well. All you have to do is not go out and do stupid s***.
Toe the line or get out.
Go Vols!