Collier Sentenced to 6 Months Probation

by silencecs on Jun 10, 2008 2:44 AM EDT

Jaguar offensive-lineman Richard Collier plead guilty to DUI yesterday. He received 6 months probation and was fined less than $1,000 along with having his license suspended for the usual 6 months because he was a first time DUI offender.

The incident occured outside a McDonald's drive-thru where Collier was found passed out in his vehicle in 2007. Collier subsequently failed a field soberiety test and followed that by blowing a .096 for his BAC. Talk about a double-whammy!

Collier still proclaims his innocence despite the fact that he entered a plea agreement against the advice of his legal counsel. The trial was set to begin next Monday and Collier's stated intent was to spare the city the embarrassment of having a Jaguar on trial.

Forgive me for being skeptical of his innocence, however, I do commend him for making the whole issue disappear. A public trial would've only led to unwanted attention thrown the Jags' way, and from what I've heard, it was an open and shut case. You never can be too sure with the court system though.

The real question is why the Jaguars have had such an epidemic of alcohol related arrests. Shall we count the ways? Barnes (twice), Brian Williams, and now Collier have all succumbed to the allure of the fire-water. Let's not forget about the litany of arrests that had no alcohol involved at all. For these, the only excuse is sheer stupidity, the names Gerald Sensabaugh (guns and speeding; wheelies) and Justin Durant (resisting arrest w/out violence) immediately come to mind.

Nothing wrong with drinking, it's perfectly legal, but these cats should know not to then get behind the wheel of a car. It's a completely selfish act, and frankly, I'm ashamed of all of them.

What are your thoughts Jag fans? Am I a goody two shoes who's over-reacting, or does someone in the organization need to lay down the law? This type of behavior is unacceptable and needs to be corrected before our beloved Jags are mistaken for the Bengals.

-Collin

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not the worst thing

while drunk driving is never a fun subject, he blew a .096. that is just over the legal limit. i’m actually surprised that his lawyer wasn’t able to get it pled down to a reckless driving.

by abeaugh on Jun 10, 2008 1:02 PM EDT reply actions

Were I to own a team.

Every player would have a card in their wallet with a phone number. That phone number would contact a car service 24/7/365 with a paid-for ride home, no questions asked.

I’d even go so far as to make the number confidential, insofar as the coaches and front office would not know which players were using the service.

Anything to encourage the players to not get behind the wheel while drinking.

Some of these incidents, however, are a little overblown. Sensabaugh’s “wheelies” is outrageous, and even his gun issue turned out to be minor (differences b/t states procedueres).

-Chris

Big Cat Country!:: The Official Home of the Unofficial Blog of the Jacksonville Jaguars!

by River City Rage on Jun 10, 2008 1:03 PM EDT reply actions

Perception is reality...

A minor felony is like a minor surgery… It’s always bad news. The publicity this team is getting shouldn’t be overshadowed by a few foolish decisions made by a couple of players. What people view us as is a hard nosed team-first group, publicity like this can turn Jacksonville into the bengals of the south. even though this isn’t the case, as their players have clearly committed worse offenses, it is what the perception will become.

Judging from the comments… I may just be a goody two shoes though…

I really like your idea Chris, The privacy aspect is brilliant and I can't believe that a system like that one hasn't been utilized by at least a few NFL teams.

-Collin

by silencecs on Jun 10, 2008 2:53 PM EDT reply actions

If I owned the team

I would have the same phone number accesible to the players. I think some of the military have a system in place. I would also go as far as to require the player’s to have a breathelizer attached to their car starters, at the very least program them to need it after a certain designated time of the day. If the team is liable to penalties(which it is now) I think it should be allowed to protect itself.

by Ewdtrey on Jun 10, 2008 5:09 PM EDT reply actions

As the wise man said...

Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

The problem with the car service idea is that young players tend to buy flashy cars (Brian Williams and his Bentley), and when they go out, they like to roll in style. Then they have a drink or two and make a poor decision to drive home.

I don’t care if I’d have to hire everyone a designated driver, DUI’s are terrible as a social ill, they’re bad for the team, and if we have another one out of our Jaguars, I might scream. It’s such a preventable thing…

-Chris

Big Cat Country!:: The Official Home of the Unofficial Blog of the Jacksonville Jaguars!

by River City Rage on Jun 10, 2008 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions