Mississippi State basketball star Nick Weatherspoon was arrested and charged with a DUI this past weekend in Starkville, Mississippi. This news comes as a surprise to many of his friends and fans. The arrest itself is shrouded in mystery but it seems to be legitimate news, as Weatherspoon has already issued a public apology to his friends and fans via Twitter.
Records of the arrest were online at the Oktibbeha County Sherriff’s office. Weatherspoon was arrested on Sunday morning because officers believed he was driving under the influence. He was pulled over because he ran a red light during the incident. Other details were disturbingly missing. In a high profile case like this, you expect that there would be more details of an arrest like this.
Weatherspoon’s coach was among the first to speak out about the arrest. He released a statement that said he was “aware of the situation and I’ve talked to Nick and his family. This is a matter we will handle internally, and at this time I have no further comment.” Basketball coaches are like family to players, so it’s not surprising that the coach would be the first person to make a statement about the arrest.
Weatherspoon is just a freshman and he’s testing his wings as a star. It’s not uncommon for first-year basketball players, or any type of first-year college student, to encounter some bumps in the road. A DUI arrest definitely isn’t the thing a student wants to start out with though especially if he’s looked up to and is in the spotlight because of a special talent like basketball.
Weatherspoon plays guard for MSU. At 6-foot-2 he’s a lightning fast presence on the court. He’s also the brother of another high profile MSU player: Junior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, a major player on MSU who led the team with a 16.5 ppg average last season. His little brother may have hit a snag in the road early on in his career but people are hopeful that Weatherspoon will face the music and return to the team stronger than ever before and determined to make a better name for himself.
Weatherspoon himself seems to have realized that he made a major mistake and he posted a message that read, in part, “I would like to say I’m sorry to my family, my fans, and to Mississippi State for my actions.” Sorry is a good start but it’s not likely to get Weatherspoon far in the courtroom. For that, he’s going to need an excellent lawyer to help him get the best possible outcome in his case. Like DUIwise.com says, a good DUI lawyer can mean the difference between jail and freedom, as well as many other things in a DUI case. Even a first offense DUI can land someone in jail these days, and so Weatherspoon will likely retain the best legal representation he possibly can, all while trying to avoid trouble with his team.
His coach has promised to keep this an internal matter, but in the courtroom, Weatherspoon will have to face the music himself, on his own. He seems to have already realized that he’s made a great mistake and let his friends, family, and fans down. What he does from now on will determine how sincere that apology seems. While it’s natural to say you’re sorry for an incident like this, it’s also important to follow the directions of important sites like DUIwise. No matter how sorry you are, what happens after the DUI is what’s important.
A good DUI lawyer is there to make sure that you get help for whatever contributed to the DUI. If Weatherspoon as an alcohol or substance abuse problem, it’s in his best interests to get help for it and not face jail time. If hefty fines are going to cause financial hardship for someone who is in college, then it’s important for a lawyer to try to trim down fines during a case. Whatever is best for Weatherspoon is what a great DUI lawyer is going to do.
More than that, a lawyer for someone like Weatherspoon is going to be a constant voice of encouragement and knowledge, as well as a voice that serves as a spokesperson for someone like Weatherspoon who must answer for his actions in the public eye. So far it’s not clear who is representing Weatherspoon, but whoever it will be must make sure that the young man recovers not just in the courtroom but in whatever areas of life he’s suffering right now.
A DUI arrest even for a basketball player isn’t going to be the last word on the matter. How Weatherspoon behaves after this and recovers will let the team and the fans know that he’s sincere about not repeating this mistake. DUI arrests are always shocking when it’s someone who’s in the public eye. People almost always expect better behavior from athletes than from the rest of the world, even if an athlete just has a God-given physical gift and doesn’t pretend to be anything more than human.
Since Weatherspooon is just a freshman, he has plenty of time to recover from this off-the-court blunder and grow into a better player and person. He has an older brother who is already a major star on the team and he can follow that star or continue to behave in a way that reflects badly on the team. Whatever his decision, he’ll most certainly have a good lawyer by his side the entire way, helping him sort through the accusations and fight the charges. If the lawyer is good enough, he may even be able to get the case dismissed entirely. After all, Weatherspoon was stopped after supposedly running a red light. If that didn’t happen, the entire arrest may be thrown out.
More news on this story will be developing over the coming months and MSU fans are sure to keep up with all the news, whether it’s good or bad.