Council Needs Counsel
Rod Council is gone from Louisville football. Allegedly brandishing an uzi in a North Carolina gas station early today, driving off with a handful of cash and taking the clerk’s cell phone. One more year and he would have made it, a sheepskin, possibly an NFL career.
There were doubts from the beginning, switching to Louisville after losing his scholarship at Virginia Tech for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of some computer equipment. He was suspended for at least one game this past season for unspecified reasons. So much for rehabilitation.
Big loss defensively, the cornerback had 26 solo tackles, six assisted tackles, two interceptions last season.
May be an indication of some of the off-the-field challenges that beset the Cards this past season, this kind of stuff the coaches aren’t allowed to talk about with all of exaggerated concern for privacy these days. Kragthorpe was obviously trying to work with Council, but that job goes to counsel now.
About the Author: Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, as well as a public affairs consultant and a UofL grad and longtime fan.
Sonja | Feb 21, 2008 | Reply
WHAT WENT WRONG, ROD?
Consider this an open letter to Rod Council. It’s doubtful he’ll ever see it, and even less likely he’ll reply to it, but I (and many others) are a little confused. Several days ago, you were the returning nucleus of a rebuilding Louisville secondary. You were the guy that was going to bring experience, wisdom and consistancy to a group of guys who were sorely going to need it. Did the memory of Steve Johnson streaking down a Commonwealth Stadium sideline finally get to you? Did the demons of a Va. Tech scholarship gone bad finally take over? Did the possibility of a career in the NFL seem just a little bit too heavy? I really want to know, Rod. Explain to me why you’re in North Carolina at 4 AM during a school week. Tell me why you put someone else’s life in peril with a weapon…when you have a college scholarship and teammates that depend on you. Remember the signs in Papa John’s? “In Rod we Trust?”
Why did it all go bad, Rod? UofL will miss your skills, but life will go on without you. Ask Vick. Ask Willie Williams. More importantly, ask yourself…and reflect on the answer before you provide it. Your name may still surface when football seson rolls around, but it will be an after thought. If the secondary is in trouble, one of the talking heads on ESPN may toss out your absentee status. One can only hope that this will finally be the life experience that turns you around. You’ll have plenty of time to think about it, reflect on it, and…if one night you’re sitting around the prison rec room, and the Cardinals are on ESPN…remember that a moment’s indisrection paid off in a 5-10 year mutuel. And strive to come back a better man. Acceptance is the first step, a far less glamourous step than the ones you took on the field, but…maybe the most important next step you’ll ever take.