OU Player Arrested In Norman(But will play! Ran stop sign, suspended license, open container,more)

ChannelOklahoma.com ^ | 9/6/03 | Associated Press

[Diddle E. Squat]

NORMAN, Okla. -- A University of Oklahoma football player will play in the Alabama game Saturday despite being arrested and ticketed after failing to stop at a stop sign.

Safety Brandon Everage was cited for disregarding a stop sign at 24th Avenue S.E. and Alameda Street in east Norman about 10 a.m. Friday.

He also received citations for driving without a valid driver's license, transporting an open container of alcohol, not having insurance verification and driving with an expired tagZ, said Lt. Tom Easley, a spokesman for Norman police.

Everage, 22, of Granger, Texas, told police he ran the stop sign because he was late for a team meeting about leaving for Alabama, Easley said.

Everage was on the team's bus when it left Friday afternoon, OU officials said.

Coach Bob Stoops said Everage will play.

"I think our track record here speaks for itself," Stoops said Friday. "We will handle things internally."

Everage's Texas driver's license wasn't valid because it was suspended in Texas, Easley said.

Everage, whose car was impounded, called a relative to help him pay the tickets and give him a ride. He paid $480 in fines and court costs, municipal court officials said.

He was suspended during last week's North Texas game because of an arrest in February on a marijuana possession complaint. Everage was found innocent of the misdemeanor drug charge last month.

[Diddle E. Squat]

"I think our track record here speaks for itself," Stoops said

LOL, yes it does, yes it does. How many times has the Sooner outlaw program been on probation now? How many national championships were won there while on probation? How proud you Sooners must be to see OU returning to their old ways. Just win baby, ethics be damned, right?

Janklow killed a man by running a stop sign, yet this guy won't get suspended for this game? They suspended him for the North Texas game for a drug charge AFTER he had been acquitted, so how can they now say that he shouldn't miss this game for deliberately running a stop sign, driving when his license was already suspended, no insurance, other unpaid fees, and an open container of alcohol? Oh yeah, that's right, Alabama is a tougher game.

No wonder Oklahoma just elected a Democrat governor, and Dems control both state houses. Seems situational ethics is still the rule when the going gets tough. Anything to win, don't ask questions, rules and accountability are for the little people. Yeah, maybe they'll eventually punish him, sitting him down for one game against Nobody U.

Now watch the Sooner fans claim everybody does it, it is just about sex minor traffic offenses, and ignore a pattern of and intentional breaking of the law.

[.cnI redruM]

I so wish the NFL would just start a minor league system. These people have no business being on any college campus.

[Southack]

Speaking for Alabama, it's good to see that this young man will still be playing tonight.

If we are going to beat OU, then we want to beat their best.

[Diddle E. Squat]

LOL, yes, Alabama is certainly in no position to throw stones when it comes to football and ethics...

[kjam22]

Everege is 22 years old. He's married. He was given a number of traffic citations. Should that keep him from playing football?

It's those darn boosters fault. This young man is a potential all-american and high draft pick. You'd think they could give the guy a nice car that is tagged and insured. What kind of boosters have we got around there anyway?? :)

[kjam22]

If we are going to beat OU, then we want to beat their best.

I wouldn't bet on that happening.

[battlegearboat]

Relax and sip your tea.

[kjam22]

Let's see... a college player gets a speeding ticket should that disqualify him from playing? Exactly how many tickets does a guy have to get to be disqualified from playing?

Everege was stopped at 10:35 in the morning. The way open container laws are written in Oklahoma.... it could be an empty beer bottle from 2 weeks ago laying in the floorboard and it qualifies as open container.

[TopQuark]

I guess, conduct no longer matters in this country. One looses esteem of his neighbors only after he is put in prison. Well, the poorly mowed lawn qualifies too, of course.

[eddie willers]

The way open container laws are written in Oklahoma.... it could be an empty beer bottle from 2 weeks ago laying in the floorboard and it qualifies as open container.

God I hope so....
If he was drinking an "eye opener" on the way to a morning team meeting, he's got LOTS of troubles ahead.

[kenth]

BOOMER!

[Enterprise]

I concur! The NFL needs to keep the gang members and street thugs out of college and in a minor league system. (No reference or linkage to Everage is intended in the above statement.)

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Voice your displeasure to the Oklahoma Sooners Athletic Dept.!

Joe Castiglione, Director of Athletics, (405) 325-8200

OU Media Relations, (405) 325-8231 - Phone, (405) 325-7623 - Fax

Kenny Mossman, Assistant A.D. for Media Relations, Football kmossman@ou.edu

The University of Oklahoma maintains intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program. For each student-athlete, athletics is used as an opportunity to expand the personal commitment toward a lifetime of excellence. A significant component of developing this excellence is to instill the highest degree of academic and athletic integrity.

As a volunteer member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Big 12 Conference, we are committed to abiding by all rules and regulations of these bodies. The NCAA governs the actions of our coaches and student-athletes, and has explicit guidelines that regulate the actions of our program.

Institutional control is a fundamental requirement of NCAA legislation. OU is responsible for ensuring that individuals and groups representing the institution's athletics interests also comply with all applicable rules.

Hopefully this compliance site will further assist prospective student-athletes, current student-athletes, athletic representatives/boosters, and anyone else interested in intercollegiate athletics and the University of Oklahoma. If you have questions or concerns regarding NCAA rules and regulations please contact the University of Oklahoma Compliance Office.

OU Compliance Office
The University of Oklahoma
180 W. Brooks St.
Norman, OK 73019-6010
Phone: (405) 325-8200
Fax: (405) 325-7345

[joesnuffy]

whats his major and his GPA?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Who is arguing that he should never play football again? But he should be suspended for the next game, which just so happens to be Alabama. He didn't just 'get a speeding ticket'. He ran a stop sign. Did you miss the articles where US Rep Janklow of ND just killed a guy by running a stop sign? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/972807/posts

Some perspective: "The Fatality Analysis Reporting System reported a total of 11,158 fatalities in 2000 attributable to drivers running stop signs. A 1999 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report lists 91,000 injuries and 192,000 property damage wrecks due to failure to stop at a stop sign." http://www.vernal.com/jul17/fr.benchpress.html

Yes, some of these are minor infractions, but in totallity it points to him having a history of infractions that indicate a problem. He should not have been driving at all, since he had no license or insurance. And finding an open container of alcohol when he already has had problems related to drug use accusations, should also be troubling to the coaches.

Should the book be thrown at him? No. Counseling and rehab are far better. However some immediate discipline to send a message to him and the rest of the team IS appropriate, and in fact likely the only thing that will get the message through to him that he needs to deal with the underlying problems now. But of course we can't have that, if it would jeopardize a win on the football field.

[em2vn]

"How many national championships were won there while on probation?"
I give up, how many? When did the Sooners play for a national championship while on NCAA probation?
Personally I don't wish to see him play but since the charges are misdemeanors the school should be able to handle them as they see fit.

[Norse]

You're taking things a little far by singling out OU.

The only thing this man should be punished for is running the stop sign. Everything else is part of a corrupt system that is basically an extra tax on the citizens. It costs almost 80 dollars to renew a tag here, it costs a crapload to pay insurance, which the government makes you have, eliminating personal choice, and just because a container is opened in a car doesn't mean he's drinking. Besides, even that isn't a big deal. Driving after having a few beers or even driving while drinking a few isn't bad, but driving while completely trashed is. Some people have taken that issue way to far as well and has resulted in the persecution of people who do not drive drunk

[SVTCobra03]

OU 38 Bama 10

[ridesthemiles]

If he can't clean an open container out of his car to keep it from bringing him charges, then throw the book at him. I don't care if it is 2 weeks old or 2 minutes old--it is still an open container.
He has no valid license
He is speeding
He is wilfully doing all of the above.
Kick him off the team NOW and for good.
There has to be another player on the bench who wonders what it takes to live a decent and clean life and get rewarded for it.
I am sick and tired of rewarding "athletes" for bad behavior. It teaches younger sports players all the wrong messages.
Have we bred 2 or 3 generations of students/citizens with no rules to live by?
This same "athlete" will someday be doing something more prolific in society if he ever completes his chance at schooling, hopefully. What message does this send?
And he is taking a seat in classes that someone who wants to live by the rules would be very happy to occupy.

[ridesthemiles]

Stand up loud and clear and say all of this to the next person's family who is killed or severely injured by "just running a stop sign".