I want to start by saying this: I do not know Kevin Olsen. I have no personal connection to him at all aside from currently attending the same university. I have no personal stake in whether he succeeds or not. Like most Hurricane fans, I am fed up with his inability to stay out of trouble with the team (and now the law) and think he should be dismissed from the program and go find a change of scenery. So this is NOT me saying the Hurricanes should give him another chance. I’m merely providing some context because all I’ve read in the media and on the message boards is making me shake my head.
Let’s start with the big event yesterday: the DUI arrest. The details we know are fairly straightforward. He blew a .04 and police found five fake IDs and the real ID of a teammate on his person. Again, just so everyone is clear what I am trying to say: THIS IS INCREDIBLY STUPID. Drinking and driving is inexcusable and recklessly irresponsible. Kevin Olsen should be kicked off the Miami football team for this incident. He clearly does not have the proper decision-making abilities to play for a major college football program.
However, this is NOT a guy who “needs help”. I’ve read a lot of things from people who think Kevin seems to have some serious problems with drugs and alcohol. As a current college student, I can tell you that I’ve seen people who have problems and need help; based on the incidents we’ve been made aware of, Kevin is not one of them. I know he’s gotten in trouble for smoking marijuana multiple times in the past. While I personally do not smoke, it’s almost as common as drinking water for many college students. (I’m not saying this is okay or not okay. I’m just laying out reality.) I guarantee you that Kevin is not the only player on this team who smokes weed, he’s just apparently not smart enough about it to not get caught.
Let’s break down last night’s incident piece-by-piece:
First, the DUI. Many people simply saw “DUI” and immediately jumped to the conclusion that Kevin is a menace to society. In reality, he blew a .04, which is only a DUI because he is not 21; that’s half the legal maximum for impaired driving in the state of Florida. In order to blow a .04, an average guy would have to drink roughly two beers in about an hour. While I don’t think people should drive after consuming any alcohol, I bet many of those criticizing Kevin have driven under similar circumstances. If he were simply two years older, it would’ve been a routine traffic stop.
Now, the fake IDs. This is where many adults really freak out. What a criminal! Fake IDs!! Again, context is important here. Most adults saying Kevin “needs help” went to college when the legal drinking age was 18, so fake IDs were not necessary. I can tell you that fake IDs are simply par for the course at the University of Miami and colleges nationwide. It’s far more uncommon to not have a fake ID at Miami. It’s also pretty standard to have multiple fake IDs, the logic behind it being that if one gets taken by a bouncer, you don’t have to pay for another one. (Again, I’m not asserting that having a fake ID is okay or not okay; I’m simply stating reality. Don’t shoot the messenger.) Now, it’s unclear to me why he was carrying five at once and his teammate’s; that’s really dumb. However, it’s not all uncommon to have multiple fake IDs. The problem again is again more that he was dumb enough to get caught for a pedestrian crime most of his fellow students commit and are smarter about concealing. See a theme here?
To conclude, I’d once again like to state for the record that I am not endorsing Kevin’s actions or saying that I do them myself. However, he is not a drug addict who desperately needs your help and sympathy; he is a college kid making some particularly dumb decisions that would not be a huge deal for most college students. He should’ve known better considering the media spotlight that shines on him 24/7, but there’s no reason to continue to publicly shame the guy or insinuate that he has a drug and alcohol problem. I bet most of you reading this were in college once (or maybe you are currently). Think about what would type of media coverage your actions would have received if you had the type of scrutiny that follows Kevin around before you judge.