An Open Letter to TCU Athletes: It's Not Worth It

This isn't intended to be a threat.

Rather, take it as a heads up. People are watching you. Kids, students, fans, we're all watching. So you need to watch what you're doing.

Obviously this letter is in response to the latest arrest of a TCU athlete. LaDarius Brown, one of your peers, was arrested for possession of marijuana on Sunday. I know he isn't the only one that smokes weed at TCU. I know he probably wasn't the only TCU athlete that was, on Sunday, in possession of weed. There are probably some of you that are sitting on a little bit of it right now.

In fact, there are probably a few athletes at every school across the United States of America that are in possession of a little bit of weed. Heck, former Alabama running back Dee Hart was arrested Sunday too, also for possession. So was Josh Harvey-Clemons at Georgia. So sure, athletes everywhere smoke.

That doesn't make it right.

That doesn't make it legal.

I know other students smoke it. Non-athletes, who hold major scholarships to major universities, and some that don't have any scholarships, and are paying their way through school, they smoke it too. Weed isn't a big deal to most people your age, and frankly, it's becoming less of a big deal to the older generations too. I suppose we could say weed's threat level is... green.

Again, that doesn't make it right.

That doesn't make it legal.

That won't make it worth your while when you get pulled over next. Ask Tanner Brock, D.J. Yendry, Tyler Horn and Devin Johnson how that worked out.

Let's face it, when you signed on to become a Horned Frog athlete, you signed on to be under the microscope. At a small school making big waves, the light shines a little brighter. At a small school with the word "Christian" in its name, people pay more attention when someone slips up. What you don't become is invincible. That much should be obvious at this point. Heck, you can hardly even be a victim anymore without wild speculation tainting your name.

So if weed isn't a big deal, don't let it ruin things that are.

Your athletic gifts have leveraged an opportunity that millions of people don't get: a free education at an institution of higher learning. Beyond just playing time, that's what's at stake. An education. Opportunities beyond your sport. Careers that can set you up for life after athletics. Don't let something so valuable be taken away because of something seemingly non-threatening. Something seemingly non-destructive.

Now I know that for every athlete that gets arrested, or has a test that comes up positive, or who has smoked and hasn't been caught, there are dozens on TCU's campus who stay away from it. Good for you. This letter isn't directed at you, or at least it hasn't been to this point.

To you I say, good job. And I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that the athletes who don't get involved in this crap get pulled into the fray, as stories surrounding this stuff, especially at TCU, seem to get quite a bit of attention and more than their fair share of speculation.

I'm sorry that your careers at TCU might be tainted with the thought, "I wonder if you're one of the ones that failed that drug test."

But you can do something about it too.You can hold your peers accountable. You can take your responsibilities as a public facing Horned Frog seriously and say that you don't want that stuff happening here.

I hope some of you do.

Now look at that. I've spent 600 words talking about marijuana like some old fart. I've spent 600 word talking about something that should be so blatantly obvious.

Stop smoking weed, dammit.