Star player arrested for public urination

I respect the hell out of the Glens Falls paper, but I thought they were wrong to give it big play. Then I went to their home page and saw that they linked to a story about some no-name being arrested for driving under the influence of crack cocaine -- with the refer no larger than the one to this story. So it seems that this is not being blown out of proportion with what they do with other people.

Disagree that the kid's a public figure. He's just a kid who plays football. It really shouldn't be his problem that adults -- including journalists -- want to see him as being more than that. I'd say it's worth a brief since he ran from cops, although given that it doesn't seem the Post-Star gave it much more than anyone else would get, I don't have a problem with how they apparently handled it. Unless the newsprint hed was 100-point: WHIZ KID!

 

Better angle would be to do a story on the cop who ran down the star running back.

 

Outstanding.

 

A couple of followups.

1. The story was played at the bottom of the Region front. I am think 30-point, three columns, two decks. I would have put it on the Sports front. It's a story because he's an athlete. What do you think?

2. Glens Falls is excellent about updating during the day. Fairly early on, they had the fact that the superintendent said the kid will be suspended for two games. School policy. If they were able to beat powerful Ticonderoga this weekend and whoever was next in the semifinals, he would be eligible for the state title game. I honestly think that *is* school policy, and I don't think they will beat Tico without him Hehehehe, Tico.

3. The team's nickname? The Flying Forts. (WWII reference).

4. This team scored 80 points a couple weeks ago. They went for two (coach said the kids did it on their own) in the fourth quarter.

 

Frank's right. Prep athletes aren't public figures.

My point was that in some cases a star athlete's arrest is newsworthy. I agree that a brief is all public urination is worth -- if only it merits such attention, ie, the kid is being heavily recruited. But it's an interesting topic to discuss. The biggest prep stars are celebrities in their communities. Some play on national television, others sign letters of intent on national television.

 

If he's the star, especially if it's a small town, it's news. If he's worth writing about for what he does on the field, he's worth writing about for what he does (publicly) off it.

 

So which is it?

Your last two senteces seem to be in stark contrast to your first. You don't get it both ways.

 

Tico? Is this some toy company? I've always known it to be referenced as "Ti."

 

Anybody know if its public urination if you are making an effort to be discreet?

 

Just thinking out loud. Even if the arrest is not newsworthy, let's assume the school suspends him even without it being in the paper.

Now you have "Star running back suspended for two playoff games." That's certainly a story.

 

The fact that he ran from the cop made it a (small) story.

But high school kid gets drunk and is caught taking a whiz while going home from a party? Sure ... we could run a roundup of all those.

I notice today that on the home page under "Latest News" they link to a short about a local man who was charged after encountering a rattlesnake on a trail and shooting it, apparently unaware that he was assaulting an endangered species.

Don't get me wrong -- I think it's a good idea to run as much police blotter as possible. Just remind me never to take an illegal right turn on red when I'm in Glens Falls -- probably make the local front.

 

Doesn't matter. This team will not beat Onondaga.


Back on topic. It's news, but more for the suspension than the actual act. Come on. Who hasn't copped a squat?