To To An Athlete Who Could Not Get Out of His Own Way

He came from a good supportive family and he had rare athletic gifts. But Jeremiah Masoli was one of those guys who could not stop screwing up.

This morning the Eugene Register-Guard reported that suspended Oregon Duck quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was cited Monday night for possession of marijuana and driving while suspended. Oregon coach Chip Kelly will no doubt announce later today that he is no longer on the team and his scholarship has been revoked.

On the field, Masoli met problems head on. The Rose Bowl and the PAC-10 championship were on the line last December, fourth and three versus Oregon State, the Ducks nursing a slim lead late in the game, and Masoli ran through Beaver defensive back Lance Mitchell for a first down to seal the win. Lowered his head and knocked the defender to the ground, just like he'd done to a UCLA safety in 2008 and then again to an Oklahoma State player in the Holiday Bowl. He was a youtube highlight of toughness and determination, a Heisman trophy candidate, the leader of a team poised to contend for a national championship.

This is a less tolerant age. In the twenty-four hour news cycle, in the era of blogs and instant laptop updates, an athlete's misdeeds immediately go to the headlines. Years ago in a sleepy college town the week after finals, a football star getting drunk or fresh with a girl would have been quieted up by someone influential, and the star would play next year and leave school for the pros with a pocketful of money and assurance of a job for life when he finished with the NFL. It's not like that now, and shouldn't be. Things come to light. Law enforcement types are scrupulously aware that this arrest should be treated like any other, and a thousand sources, eager for fresh news and fresh scandal and an opportunity to provide the vital links, dutifully report the story, within minutes, even seconds, of the judge's gavel or the clanging of the cell. There's no evasion or mumbling of excuses that will make it go away. Jeremiah has lost his scholarship, and squandered his opportunity to play quarterback at the University of Oregon. I hope he finds his way in life. He's off to a bad start.

In interviews he seemed like such a quiet and modest kid, and I admired the Samoan warrior intensity he brought to the field. By now however he's a victim of his own terminal bad judgment. Already on suspension he had to know he was on his last second chance. How could someone so fierce and focused on the field be so aimless and stupid off it? It's disappointing but not surprising. The sports landscape is littered with athletes with similar stories, all the talent in the world, million dollar bodies but ten-cent heads.

I love redemption stories. They are the chief reason I like sports. I like seeing what people do after the ultimate failure or embarrassment. I like seeing what happens next with them, how they respond, how they rise up. Masoli had an opportunity to serve his suspension and come back in 2011 and achieve an incredible story. That road will be way harder now. He'll have to go somewhere else, start over, face the mountains of doubts and inevitable scrutiny, and he'll have to prove the real Masoli is the dominating competitor and not the stupid kid who can't make sensible decisions or stay out of trouble. He won't be able to do any of that at the University of Oregon. As of today he no longer has the uniform, or the support of the fans, coaches, and teammates, and it's a shame he doesn't realize what a loss that is.

I'm invested in the story because I'm a screw up too. I can't count the number of times I turned the wrong way or took a foolish chance, or got a ticket or got in trouble because I was in the wrong place doing something I had no business doing. My life has been a trail of broken relationships and broken promises and wasted potential. I'd like to see this kid do better. He has more time left than I do.

(update: by twelve noon today, the Oregon athletic department announce that Jeremiah Masoli has been dismissed from the team for a failure to adhere to the obligations outlined by head coach Chip Kelly.)