Before this week, I was certain what I’d remember most about Jimmy Johns was an Alabama onside kick hitting him in the helmet during a loss to Florida State last fall.
Not only did the play cost Alabama the chance to pull out a win in the game’s final moments — because the ball hit Johns’ helmet, the Crimson Tide was called for illegal touching, thus nullifying Alabama’s recovery of the kick — it was symbolic of the former Mississippi Mr. Football’s unspectacular junior season
For the record, he carried 17 times for 69 yards and caught three passes for 41.
During bowl practice, he was moved to linebacker and was expected to contend for playing time. Maybe he would have given me something else to remember him by.
Instead, Johns took care of that Tuesday when he was arrested and charged with five counts of selling cocaine and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban kicked Johns off the team later in the day, and he was also suspended by the university.
Johns’ arrest made it an even 10 for Alabama players since Nick Saban took over as head coach in 2007.
Whenever a team starts making as much noise for its off-field problems as on-field accomplishments, fans are quick to point fingers at the coaching staff, and that’s reasonable.
SEC head football coaches are paid huge salaries and should be expected to teach discipline, to insist that players behave on and off the field.
But to put all the blame on the coaches is unfair. These players are 18 to 21-years-old. By our society’s standards, they are considered grown men. Coaches can only manage their lives so much.
It’s a little easier to understand, though still unacceptable, when freshmen or sophomores experiencing life away from mom and dad for the first time find themselves in trouble off the field. It’s more troubling when it’s an upperclassman like Johns or fellow rising senior Rashad Johnson, who was arrested for disorderly conduct in February.
Saban can rant and rave, establish harsher penalties for off-field mistakes and fiddle with things like curfew, but unless the players show more maturity and responsibility, it won’t matter much.
Right now, Alabama needs a leader to emerge, someone willing to step up and insist their teammates walk the line.
Maybe it will be senior quarterback John Parker Wilson or junior Andre Smith, a two-year starter on the offensive line, or senior center and 2007 captain Antoine Caldwell.
Somebody on that roster needs to stand up and hold their teammates accountable. Otherwise, figuring out how to beat Auburn could be the least of Saban’s worries.
