Pittsburgh Panthers' Fall Out from the Arrest of RB Jason Douglas
Pitt freshman running back Jason Douglas was arrested early Sunday morning, being charged with hitting a pedestrian and leaving the scene of an accident.
Douglas was severely intoxicated, registering a .178 on his breathalyzer.
When stopped by police, Douglas responded with "I play Pitt football. Don't arrest me."
Douglas is a backup running back who received three carries for eight yards and caught a pass in the Pitt victory over New Hampshire on Saturday.
Douglas also performs kick return duties, as it was he who fumbled a big kickoff in the opening loss against Utah, which changed the momentum of the game.
Panthers head coach Dave Wannstedt acted quickly to suspend Douglas from all team activities, but did Wannstedt open up a can of worms in the locker room here?
While Douglas is low on the depth chart and likely won't be missed, Wannstedt didn't take the same actions against defensive end Jabaal Sheard, who threw a man through a window.
Sheard was charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct after throwing a man through the window of an art gallery.
Sheard wasn't even reprimanded by Wannstedt. Sure he might have had to run a few extra sprints in practice, but Sheard got off easy.
Sheard pleaded "guilty" to misdemeanor assault. While I'm not suggesting by any means that Sheard should have been kicked off the team, a suspension was likely warranted. Douglas also did something very stupid, yet he was suspended within a day of being arrested.
This clearly looks like a case where the punishment clearly depends on the player. How good they are and how much they can produce looks like it outweighs the crime.
Wannstedt has to watch how he handles situations like this or the Panthers locker room will become divided quickly. Is this what Pitt football has become? The bigger the star, the more they can get away with?
Wannstedt better watch things closely because he is treading very thin waters.
