By Ben Troupe
SouthernPigskin.com

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Former Florida All-American Ben Troupe is pleased at the way his alma mater has handled the Treon Harris situation.

What’s going on, football fans? Welcome to most dangerous blog on the planet, “Troupe Talk”. It is my unique pleasure to provide you with quality content each week from my uncommon perspective to hopefully get you to read between the lines and see something you did not know was there. I must say thank you to all my loyal readers and supporters of my blog. Sit back, relax and enjoy. i will not disappoint.

College football is one of the best forms of entertainment in the country on Saturday afternoons. College football fans are the purest and most loyal fans in the world because they usually have ties to their favorite teams through either going to that institution or having a family member or friend go there.

While these young men provide us with quality competition each week and mesmerize us with their athleticism, playmaking ability and SportsCenter Top Ten highlights, I want to focus more on their off-the-field behavior. Case in point is the recent allegation against freshman quarterback Treon Harris of the Florida Gators. He was accused of sexual assault by a young lady that he had been in a relationship with. I will not sit here and try to play the judge or the jury in this situation because I do not know all the facts, but what I will say is how extremely proud I am of the University of Florida and its handling ofthe situation.

Listen, while we do not know what happened, what we do know is that Treon has been accused of an awful crime and it must be taken very seriously and should not be handled or viewed in any other way. I do not know Harris and, therefore, this is not an indictment on his character or him as a person. But what I will do is highlight the fact that the University of Florida showed that real life takes precedence over everything else, including football.

Sexual assault is a societal issue that we need to address and rid our society of through education, awareness and understanding. We should not take it lightly and just act as if what this young lady is accusing Harris of should be swept under the rug because of who he is and the position he plays. The allegations are being handled properly by Florida, because that is what this case warrants and that is what the young lady
who is accusing him of sexually assaulting her deserves.

When the news story broke about Harris, some of the comments in regard to the situation were beyond idiotic and disgraceful, to say the least. We as adults need to restrain ourselves of saying everything we feel. I was always told to let ignorance speak and to not silence it so that we as people can better learn from one another’s lack of understanding and empathy. The only thing I learned from some of the comments on this situation is that some people should not be allowed to comment on these social media sites.

The young lady feels as though she had been wronged through being sexually assaulted and, therefore, she has every right to file a complaint and let an investigation be done. The truth will come out. As it pertains to a player being able to play while under investigation, I do not feel he should be able to do that because it shows a lack of respect for the team. It also shows that your alleged behavior could go unpunished simply because you play a sport, and that to me is the biggest crime being done to these athletes because they are not feeling the effects.

Let me reiterate again: I am in no way, shape, form or fashion insinuating that Harris has committed a crime, and I am not condemning him. But what I am saying is that I am very proud of my alma mater in making the right decision and removing Harris off the team until this case is over. Football is a sport, not the end of the world. Football brings us together to show our love for our teams; it is not used as a means to protect a player of wrongdoing.

Whenever a player has had a moment of bad judgment and, because of his decision, causes a negative cloud over the team, then that player should be dismissed until the matter is handled.

Final thought is this: when you sign a letter ofintent to play collegiate sports, you must understand what you are doing, which is essentially giving up your right to privacy, because any wrong move you make will be shown on the national scale and you will be ridiculed for it even if it comes out that you have done nothing wrong. The reason I say this is because these young men do not understand the responsibilities that come with playing college sports. Therefore, when they get reminded of it, it usually is in a disciplinary manner.

Now the reason that is the way it works is probably because winning is far more important than discipline, in many people’s minds. Just saying. To whom much is given, much is required, and sometimes that requirement is living with the consequences of your actions and decisions. Remember, football is a game, but, unfortunately for football players, the bright lights they play under will never shine brighter than the lime lights they live under. Perspective.

Thanks for taking the time to check out the most dangerous blog on the planet, “Troupe Talk”. Make sure to check back frequently with Southern Pigskin, which is all about the fans. Remember that no matter what we go through in life, there is always purpose wrapped in the pain. You know what doesn’t work now be committed to what does work. Keep God first through infinity and be persistent at being consistent. Be Uncommon. Two fingers.