Himmelsbach | UK arrest should concern Stoops

The University of Kentucky football team is off to an improbable 4-1 start and it has fans believing in things they almost forgot how to believe in. With a win against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, the Wildcats would be just one victory from becoming eligible for a bowl game.

The turnaround under second-year head coach Mark Stoops has been swift, and nothing short of stunning. Off the field, however, there have been some potholes, the most recent being the most concerning.

On Tuesday, freshman defensive end Lloyd Tubman was suspended indefinitely after being arrested and charged with first-degree rape. Later in the day, Stoops twice said that he "feels for all parties." In cases like this one, sympathizing with all parties can come across as being insensitive to alleged victims.

This column first published online late Tuesday night. I had reached out to UK, and on Wednesday morning Stoops called me to better explain those thoughts.

"I was concerned, I'm concerned about all parties, but I'd never be sympathetic toward someone who committed a violent act," he said. "I'm very concerned about all parties. I'm very concerned about this whole situation. I'd never want it taken as me being insensitive to a victim, because that's not the case."

I thought it was a fair explanation by Stoops. In this age of increasing awareness toward domestic violence, words must be chosen carefully, and Stoops found himself in a spot no coach wants to be in.

Last week, Wildcats freshmen Stanley Williams, Drew Barker, Dorian Baker and Tymere Dubose were charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, after an on-campus incident involving air-soft pellet guns.

It sounds as if the players were just shooting at each other in a playful game, but there was nothing playful about university alerting the student body that a section of campus had been locked down. The players later admitted to abandoning their weapons on campus.

This situation could have deteriorated quickly, particularly if police had arrived that night and found a group of teenagers holding guns—air-soft or not.

They were suspended for the South Carolina game last week, but this week they have been cleared to return. I think all four were reinstated too quickly.

Stoops has, by all accounts, done things the right way since arriving in Lexington in November of 2012. When there have been problems, he has acted swiftly to fix them. When there have been issues, he has not hidden from them. Entering this season, he had dismissed five players for violations of team rules. It's clear he has built up some equity as an enforcer.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder what the reaction would be if a coach with a less pristine past had, over a 10-day span, had his players spark a lockdown for firing guns on campus, followed by another player being charged with first-degree rape.

No, Stoops is not to blame for these incidents. But as he reshaped the culture after replacing Joker Phillips, he was widely praised. Now that issues are emerging, he has to be the one to take action before some isolated incidents become more of a trend. Punishments are one thing; prevention is another.

In June, sophomore defensive end Jason Hatcher, who had already faced a one-game suspension last season for a violation of team rules, was cited for marijuana possession—along with UofL wide receiver James Quick. The citation was later dismissed and Hatcher is playing this year.

Last January, wide receiver Demarco Robinson, who had been suspended for the last two games of the season for a violation of team rules, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, violation of a noise ordinance and resisting arrest. Those charges were later dropped and Robinson is starting again.

Safety Ashely Lowery, who was arrested and charged with DUI in May of 2013 but has yet to go to trial, will apparently not face any disciplinary action at UK. Taken as a whole, these incidents show that maybe the Wildcats need some more oversight.

On Tuesday, Stoops said that whenever young players are away from home, it's important to put structure around them and mentor them. And that's absolutely true. UK spokesman Tony Neely said that before each season, police speak to the team about proper behavior. But maybe structure has been a bit lacking on some level, because the transgressions are beginning to pile up.

And now that the Wildcats are finally winning, finally thriving, finally happy, it would be unfortunate to see their progress derailed by missteps that have nothing to do with football.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at 502-582-4372 by email ahimmelsbach@courier-journal.com and on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach