If you want a good reason as to how screwed we are as a football society...

I submit to you two of the coaches involved in that Florida referee attack from September.

Sarasota County, Florida, like many counties, has an online ability to check court records.

Lookie what I found on one of the coaches, a Timothy Howard:

In August 5, 1999, he pled no contest to two felonies: Cocaine possession with intent to sell or distribute, and possession of a controlled substance.

He was sentenced to consecutive one-year terms.

How is this guy, who appears, previous to this, to have fourteen different filings with the court (including resisting arrest, failure to obey police, numerous probation violations, and perhaps another year in jail for an additional drug charge), allowed anywhere near kids in this kind of a setting?

And that's nothing compared to what I came up with on Antonio Bradley, another of the three coaches involved:

• 2004 Marijuana sale within 1000 ft of a church: 2nd degree felony.
• 2004, four months later: Discharging an airgun in city limits
• 2005, smuggling contraband into a detention facility
  
• 2006, sale of cocaine, another felony.
• 2006, destruction of evidence, another felony.
  
• 2007, suspended license, small marijuana possession, etc. (This three years after a conviction which could've drawn 15 years in the state pen!)

These two both face trial for the referee attack in April, 2012.

This sounds to me as if it's at least one of the guys who's been dabbling in the gambling on these kids.

HOW IN THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO HAVE FOOTBALL WITH THIS KIND OF IDIOCY AROUND?