Pubdate: Sat, 12 Feb 2005
Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS)
Copyright: 2005 The Clarion-Ledger
Contact:  http://www.clarionledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805

ROLE MODEL?

Walker's Sentencing Is A Lesson

There are all kinds of role models for young people.

Former Mississippi State University running back Dontae Walker was
sentenced this week to 25 years in prison for his convictions on
possession of cocaine and felony possession of marijuana by Oktibbeha
County Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens.

Walker faces three years in prison with a $1,000 fine for the
marijuana charge and 22 years behind bars, also with a $1,000 fine,
for the cocaine charge.

The talented athlete was once a role model for the transforming power
of sports to change lives and for the work ethic that made him one of
the most feared rushers in the Southeastern Conference.

Now, Walker is a role model for young athletes on the way up who doubt
that their lives can also be changed by drugs, by crime and by the
notion that "it" can't happen to them.

It happened to Dontae Walker. It can happen to anyone.

Drug sale and use, sex offenses and on-court violence are too
frequently in the headlines. Young people who are hitching their
wagons to the stars of a college sports career should take a life
lesson from Walker's fall from grace.

Athletes aren't alone in facing these struggles. All young people
should pay heed to this evolving human tragedy.
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