Dunlap, Robinson, and LSU's Troubles: Where's the Outrage, SEC Fans?

My how a month changes things. It was only three short weeks ago that Lane Kiffin and three Tennessee Volunteers were publicly mocked and ridiculed at the thought of the freshmen holding up two men with a pellet gun.

Should there have been outrage? Absolutely!

Should there have been a public crucifixion of a coach who had pretty much nothing to do with it? Absolutely not.

Even I wrote about my discouragement with the apparent lack of rules for a bunch of freshmen at Tennessee. I still stand by the discouragement.

However, some on this and other sites decided to publish lies and edicts declaring that Lane Kiffin was something akin to Satan himself for not being there to hold the three fools' hands so they would not do something incredibly stupid.

Florida fans were absolutely giddy with this news. Georgia fans, oh they loved it. I would venture a guess that even some fans of the Mad Hatter in Baton Rouge were even pleased.

I know many a Bama fan that was enjoying the moment, although most of that fanbase showed restraint because they've been there before.

So I'm sure you can imagine my sheer amazement at the news of Carlos Dunlap's DUI arrest on Tuesday morning.

Carlos Dunlap. He's not a freshman. He's not some immature kid who has just realized his independence. No, he's an integral part of the No. 2 defense on the No. 1 team in the land.

According to some in the media, the quarterback of that team is the "greatest leader in the history of college football." According to some in the media, his coach is one of the best in the land.

And six days before the biggest game of the '09 season this guy is sleeping off a drunk in his car at 2:00 am. Wow. Just wow. Someone should tell the guy not to be behind the wheel while drunk, even if you are sleeping.

On the same day we hear from LSU that their program is under self-investigation for potential violations.

Not 24 hours earlier those same Bulldogs fans learned that one of their own freshmen, Montez Robinson, was arrested for underage possession of alcohol.

Yet, I do not see stories on this website with 10,000 reads and 400 comments proclaiming this to be the most egregious error in the history of the SEC. I do not see Mark Richt, Urban Meyer, or Les Miles burning in written effigy.

I wonder why that is? I wonder why there haven't been lies and innuendo thrown all over cyberspace like it's October of an election year.

I know why the outrage is not there. I understand completely.

I am not here to throw mud, stones, or any other compound object(s). I am here simply to state that those who call out other coaches and programs need to make sure their's is completely clean first.

The bottom line is that no one is completely clean. Not Florida, LSU, Georgia, or even Alabama. Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow can no more control a junior with a thirst for alcohol and good time than the Gainesville Police can.

LSU apparently couldn't control certain situations within it's recruiting circles. (Remember all those petty secondary violations that Tennessee reported?)

And Georgia could not keep a freshman away from partying at an age deemed too young by authorities.

I don't expect outrage now any more than I did when Lane Kiffin experienced his first bit of adversity at Tennessee. I do expect fans to be responsible and realize that this is the real world and things happen.

These things happen at every school in America—whether they be in the SEC, ACC, Big East, SWAC, MEAC, Big Sky, or MAAC.

Maybe next time something happens we can all express our disappointment without slinging more mud all over an already dirty landscape.