Letter to the Advocate editor regarding Jordan Jefferson

Dear Editor,

I am an LSU graduate living in exile in Fairhope, Alabama. Like many avid alumni here I watch and read with great interest everything related to our revered LSU Football team. Today we exist in the throes of the budding Information Age; which is both a blessing, and an apparent curse.

Last week was difficult for Tiger fans. They watched the investigation of a routine bar fracas escalate into the hunt for Bin Laden, ending with the surreal confiscation of 49 pairs of Jordan Jefferson’s tennis shoes and the pervasive swabbing of his mouth for DNA.

Police officers are commissioned to exercise discretion while protecting and serving under the U.S. Constitution and its subsequent, ratified amendments. Particularly, the fourteenth amendment guarantees equal protection under the law, regardless of race, religion or national origin—even if the person in question is a high-profile college athlete of the Internet age.

Rarely do bar fight investigations draw such scrutiny. However, given the sensational impact of the 24-hour news cycle on ongoing college sports coverage, an otherwise mundane incident became the cause celeb du jour on the eve of college football’s anticipated kickoff; which brings me to my point.

The early, incident-related comments from LSU’s athletic director, Joe Alleva, chimed accusatory. Consider his recorded statement:

“We will not tolerate student athletes whose irresponsible actions tarnish the good name of a great university. LSU student athletes are expected to behave with the understanding that they represent their school, their fellow students and the long history of this program, regardless of the time of day.

“Coach Miles has already begun taking disciplinary action. It is critical that we are deliberate in determining the facts regarding this incident, and as Coach Miles said, when the facts are clear, additional and appropriate action will be taken if necessary.”

Joe Alleva has experience in controversy, and it’s not a laudable track record. He was the athletic director for Duke University in 2006 when four Lacrosse players were accused of rape. At that juncture Mr. Alleva jumped to conclusion and prematurely determined that the Duke student-athletes were guilty of the crime against a female prostitute. Joe Alleva accepted her dubious testimony over that of the boys and that of their supporting head coach. Further, Alleva forced the resignation of the Duke Lacrosse coach, after he had promised to stand by him as the investigation proceeded in its normal, deliberate course. In this case, according to the coach, Alleva broke a solemn pledge to one of his coaches and exercised notably poor judgment by jumping to conclusion without the benefit of conclusive evidence. He acted on a hunch—and it cost him, and the university—big time. Does anyone else notice a trend in Mr. Alleva’s reactions?

The four Duke Lacrosse players were eventually exonerated in a court of law and each received a multi-million dollar defamation settlement, as their names had been unfairly dragged through the muddy kangaroo court of public opinion—presided over by the hardly impartial, self-appointed, Judge Joe Alleva.

When one carefully reads the aforementioned prepared statement by LSU’s “highly successful” athletic director (the LSU website’s dubious description of his Blue Devil tenure), you sense the same lack of sensitivity to the truth and respect for the wholly American notion of being innocent until proven guilty that irrevocably tarnished Alleva’s theretofore professional reputation. How this incident was casually overlooked by the LSU Board of Supervisors during his hiring and confirmation process remains a mystery as big as what really happened in the morning twilight outside Shady’s bar over a week ago, and further, what the true motivations are by those in power who machinate to serve their own selfish political agenda.

In defense of LSU’s much-maligned quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, it does not take a constitutional lawyer to realize that he has not received due process. Further, Coach Miles has, in my opinion, prematurely rendered punishment, as it is not certainly known whether Jefferson is guilty of the alleged battery charges. Perhaps Mr. Alleva’s noted, knee-jerk preference for doing what he feels is “politically correct,” has affected the situation?

Like in the Duke rape imbroglio, it is my belief that Jordan Jefferson, if found not guilty of battery by additional, exculpatory evidence put forth by his new attorney, Lewis Unglesby, has a possible ripe libel lawsuit in the making, as it appears that local law enforcement and the LSU brass, for whatever selfish motivation, have already rendered him guilty as charged.

Moving forward after this week, Jordan Jefferson should be reinstated, as it is his senior season, and as such, his eligibility clock is ticking. If he is not allowed to play, Jordan Jefferson, like the former wrongly-accused Duke student athletes, could wind up being a millionaire at the expense of the taxpayers, resulting from the poorly exercised judgment of a few administrative “professionals.”

Christopher E. Warner, Ph.D.