Regardless of the outcome of tonight's quarterfinal game against Rhea County, the Ooltewah football staff already has faced a no-win situation this week. Since news broke that Owls all-state linebacker Jeremiah Jackson had been arrested on charges of domestic assault, folks immediately began taking sides based on the few known facts of the incident as well as many more rumors, voicing their opinions on whether Jackson should be allowed to play in tonight's huge playoff game.
According to the police report, the 18-year-old Jackson was accused of smacking his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child, in the mouth during a confrontation at a basketball game at the school. He told police he had put his hands up to tell the alleged victim to back away and he could have made contact with her but did not do so with malicious intent.
Jeremiah Jackson - Ooltewah - LB
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* Jackson no longer a Mr. Football finalist for Owls; status for game in question
Jeremiah Jackson Left with such a he-said/she-said scenario, Ooltewah football coach Mac Bryan and school administrators were painted into a corner. If the coaches and administrators decide to stand behind Jackson's version, they could be perceived as caring more about trying to win a game than doing what's right by handing down a suspension or severe punishment.
Conversely, should Bryan and his administration take a zero-tolerance stance for Jackson even putting himself in such a situation, there will be a large portion of the community wondering whatever became of innocent until proven guilty.
No matter at what level athletes compete, it's never acceptable to put their hands on someone else. It's especially intolerable if it's a physically imposing man hitting a woman, as has been the case all too often with recent professional and college athletes. If in fact the alleged victim's account of what happened is accurate, then Jackson should be suspended for the rest of the season - tonight and anything beyond.
But we're also talking about the future of a young man whom teachers, coaches, classmates and even his boss at Krystal, where he's worked 10-12 hour shifts on weekends for more than a year, describe as a solid student with a 3.25 grade point average and a leader among his peers. Even officers noted in their report how respectful Jackson was during the interview process.
The combination of his immense athletic ability and his strong academic standing have meant football is his best shot of overcoming a tough upbringing that included him, his four brothers and their mother being abandoned by his father, and paving the way for him to go to college, perhaps even opening the door to better support his own baby.
Although not part of whatever disciplinary action the school has taken or may take, the TSSAA announced early Thursday morning that it had removed Jackson from being a finalist for the state's Mr. Football award.
The fact that the Tennessee Titans are the title sponsor for that award, and considering the amount of heat the NFL has taken for its own players' issues with this subject, you can assume the reason for such a swift decision by the state's governing body was that Titans officials made it clear to the TSSAA that they did not want to take the chance on honoring a player who had been linked to domestic violence.
Another consequence of the charges Jackson now faces is how it will affect his college recruitment. Before this week he already had several college scholarship offers and many more who had been recruiting him and were expected to make offers soon. But according to one college coach, whose staff was recruiting Jackson, once they became aware of the situation, they immediately dropped him from their recruiting board.
"Honestly, if a kid gets picked up for a DUI or marijuana possession, as bad as those would be, we can work around that a lot easier than anything like this," said the college coach, who asked not to be identified. "There are two things that would cause our staff to no longer recruit a player - if their name is linked to being involved in any way to a charge of domestic assault or rape. If you're a prospect and your name is linked to either of those, as much as I hate to say it, you're pretty much going to have a tough time finding a program who will take a chance on recruiting you, just from the public relations aspect.
"I hate that he's in this situation, but you can't put yourself in a spot where you allow things to escalate and have there even be the appearance that this happened. It's a tough lesson for him, but hopefully he and other young athletes will learn from it."
Neither Bryan nor school administrators would comment Thursday on whether Jackson will be allowed to play tonight. Ooltewah has a policy not to discuss student discipline without the permission of the student's parent or guardian.
There will continue to be strong opinions either way, whether it's in support of Jackson or loudly against him suiting up and stepping on the field with his teammates. For now, whether he's proven guilty or innocent of the charges, that promising future has become cloudy in an instant, and even if the Owls advance, sadly it's a no-win situation altogether.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.