UT’s Richardson Still In Jail; Jackson Won’t Play Saturday
November 13th, 2009 ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Tags: Tennessee
Janzen Jackson and Mike Edwards got out of jail yesterday, but fellow freshman Nu’Keese Richardson is still in jail today.
Could the fact that Richardson is still in jail provide Lane Kiffin with an opportunity to say, “I haven’t gathered all information yet” and in turn play Jackson Saturday at Ole Miss?
Sounds unlikely, but this is college football we’re talking about. Coaches do everything they can to keep players eligible. And if a man can’t conduct first-hand interviews…
UPDATE — Tennessee has said that Jackson will NOT be on their travel roster for tomorrow’s game.
Whether Jackson is eventually suspended, dismissed or allowed to play on, this is a smart step for Tennessee from a PR standpoint.
It would not surprise me if athletic director Mike Hamilton and UT’s acting president were behind that decision. The arrests will be talked about during Saturday’s CBS broadcast and during the various highlight shows afterwards.
If Jackson were to have played, the issue would have been an even bigger angle of the media’s coverage of the game. And that would have been an even bigger black eye for the program and the university.
Not to mention what it might have done for Tennessee’s recruiting.
A smart move by UT’s powers-that-be.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 
