When You Play With Fire...

As most of you know, Abilene Ruff Riders quarterback Quincy Carter was arrested on Sunday here in Abilene. He didn't do anything new, but he was picked up for an outstanding warrant in the D/FW area for a parole violation. 

So, where do I begin? 

I will start by saying, I want Quincy Carter to succeed here in Abilene with the Ruff Riders, and I want him to become a productive member of our community. However, I don't see that 2nd part happening. 

Carter knew he had a warrant out for his arrest for a parole violation. Why on earth didn't he go and take care of the matter? The best explanation I can come up with is that he is a 12 year old little boy in a man's body, and he forgot, or he thought it would just go away. I don't know how many of you have had pre-teens, but most of them need adults to remind them to pick their clothes up off the floor, or to make their bed, or to take their dirty dishes to the kitchen. 

That's what we've got here. Carter is supposed to be an adult, but he clearly isn't. He is a pre-teen that can't handle the responsibilities of adult life. 

You know the Ruff Riders are embarrassed each and every time their franchise quarterback does something less than smart. This kind of thing puts the team in a bad light because he is representing the team. TV stations do stories about Quincy Carter, and they start those stories with, "Abilene Ruff Riders quarterback Quincy Carter". This doesn't help the team build a good reputation with the community. 

The signing of Quincy Carter was a high risk, high reward kind of deal for the Ruff Riders. If he keeps his nose clean and he plays well, Carter puts people in the stands. If he keeps doing less than intelligent things that land him in jail, Carter will help keep people out of the stands. 

Message for Quincy Carter:

IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GROW UP!

Message for the Abilene Ruff Riders:

When you play with fire, sometimes you get burned.