and anyone else to whom this might apply. I generally don't respond to fans who have negative things to say about Arian. There really is no need. But with this, there was a need...for me. Before you all go nuts and say "This is why parents shouldn't post on message boards!", understand this. I am not overly sensitive. I've endured a lot of verbal criticism about my son on this board and others and have said nothing. I'm ok with that. He's a high profile player at a very large university with a very passionate fan base. That's all good. I accept all of that.
I will not address the arrest incident because I know what happened. Arian should never have put himself in that position and he was wrong for that. He owned up to his responsibilities, took his punishment and moved on. We are not the type of people to dwell on past mistakes. We learn, we move on.
What I will address is his most recent interview. It seems that it was taken way out of proportion and apparently has caused a lot of question, concern and misunderstanding. Dude, this is where you come in. Arian was happy...thrilled....RELIEVED, if you will, with his progress during spring training. After the last season, the bowl game and all that he went through, he was relieved to finally see some positive out of all the work he's put in. Work you will never hear him brag about, but work he will continue to do when there are no eyes watching. He was pleased with his performance during the scrimmage, happy that spring ball was over and he could take a few days to relax. He was excited, had some adrenaline and he was JOKING about the alter ego. If you heard the radio interview of that, you could hear in his voice the levity. HE WAS JOKING. He's a little surprised at how it created so much attention.
And let me share with you a little about my son. He is a fun-loving kid who loves to laugh, has the greatest sense of humor and is a very passionate soul. IF you take the time to get to know him, you would see that he is a happy-go-lucky guy. Certainly NOT the kind of kid who is cocky or has a huge ego. I've worked his whole life to make sure that he is clear on who is his and what his path is. And ego is not in it to that degree. What he is is clear about his abilities to play ball and clear that that is only a portion of who he is and what he does. He is confident in his abilities and may appear cocky about his game but just knows himself and is comfortable with that.
This interview was all a joke. He did NOT change his name. And if you want to know the real truth, there are about 7 or 8 guys who have "alter-ego" name changes as well (most of whom none of you would consider cocky), but who have done this as a joke between themselves. Sure he shouldn't voice that publicly because those who can't recognize jokes must reduce it to much more than it truly is and then take it a step further to personal attacks on his character and his supposed "inability" to play ball in the SEC.
My son is not defined by you, his craft, any interview or any ONE thing he does. I know who he is, what his character is about, how he lives his life. He is neither perfect, nor does he try to be. He lives his life in that manner he choses. He does not belong to you and he does not belong to me. He is his own man. And I'm proud of that.
I will not address the arrest incident because I know what happened. Arian should never have put himself in that position and he was wrong for that. He owned up to his responsibilities, took his punishment and moved on. We are not the type of people to dwell on past mistakes. We learn, we move on.
What I will address is his most recent interview. It seems that it was taken way out of proportion and apparently has caused a lot of question, concern and misunderstanding. Dude, this is where you come in. Arian was happy...thrilled....RELIEVED, if you will, with his progress during spring training. After the last season, the bowl game and all that he went through, he was relieved to finally see some positive out of all the work he's put in. Work you will never hear him brag about, but work he will continue to do when there are no eyes watching. He was pleased with his performance during the scrimmage, happy that spring ball was over and he could take a few days to relax. He was excited, had some adrenaline and he was JOKING about the alter ego. If you heard the radio interview of that, you could hear in his voice the levity. HE WAS JOKING. He's a little surprised at how it created so much attention.
And let me share with you a little about my son. He is a fun-loving kid who loves to laugh, has the greatest sense of humor and is a very passionate soul. IF you take the time to get to know him, you would see that he is a happy-go-lucky guy. Certainly NOT the kind of kid who is cocky or has a huge ego. I've worked his whole life to make sure that he is clear on who is his and what his path is. And ego is not in it to that degree. What he is is clear about his abilities to play ball and clear that that is only a portion of who he is and what he does. He is confident in his abilities and may appear cocky about his game but just knows himself and is comfortable with that.
This interview was all a joke. He did NOT change his name. And if you want to know the real truth, there are about 7 or 8 guys who have "alter-ego" name changes as well (most of whom none of you would consider cocky), but who have done this as a joke between themselves. Sure he shouldn't voice that publicly because those who can't recognize jokes must reduce it to much more than it truly is and then take it a step further to personal attacks on his character and his supposed "inability" to play ball in the SEC.
My son is not defined by you, his craft, any interview or any ONE thing he does. I know who he is, what his character is about, how he lives his life. He is neither perfect, nor does he try to be. He lives his life in that manner he choses. He does not belong to you and he does not belong to me. He is his own man. And I'm proud of that.
