but apparently not “with” the team?

For being out at 2 AM on a school night after having already found the doghouse, 2 games is enough of a suspension. If he had been complicit with the drug stuff in the car or the attempted robbers, 2 games wouldn’t be enough. Since the precedent will shape the way Kiffin has to deal with the team from here on, I have to assume the former. And that would make this the right call.

Congratulations, kiddo. Welcome to the world.

However, I wont question Kiffin on it. Last time I had doubts was with Crompton and Kiffin was right there so Ill be willing to assume he knows what he is doing until proven otherwise.

If it was the wrong decision, we may find out soon. Let’s hope it was right.

that there is no way in hades that Jackson could pass a drug test at this very moment.

Hoop…i think we are being pollyanna-ish to not assume he knew and at some point smoked some of the weed in the car. Pretty obvious to me that the girl took responsibility for that knowing what a possession charge would do to the others.

I hope he has changed but he is in college so there will be many temptations.

Let me point out an important particular choice of words from Kiffin’s statements, and it is important to note that it is from his prepared portion of his statements. First, the KPD and the DA’s office did not “clear Janzen of wrongdoing” as Kiffin said. They dropped the charges of attempted aggravated robbery because it was their opinion that there was insufficient evidence to bring a conviction in a court of law. These are not the same things. He wasn’t found innocent. If you read Kiffin’s quotes from his prepared statement, Kiffin stressed his point by saying the “cleared of wrongdoing” phrase twice, meaning he meant what he said.

Kiffin carefully chose his words because, like Jackson’s lawyer, Kiffin in this situation is Jantzen’s advocate. He is sticking up for his player.

That is an admirable trait. But at the same time, it makes me increasingly suspicious of Kiffin’s future statements about anything, especially after his recent use of the word “incident” which backfired on him a bit.

We don’t know the whole story of Jantzen Jackson, from Memphis game suspension to today, regardless of what his lawyer says, or what the store clerk says, or what Cory Zickefoose says, or what Lane Kiffin says, or what anybody says.

What will speak louder than anything is what Jantzen Jackson chooses to do with his life and his god-given talents. As Mike Strange wrote in his column Tuesday at GVX, it is Jackson’s choice to be like Eric Berry off the field, somebody he has been compared to on the field, or to become like a long string of former Vol players who squandered their talents and careers at Tennessee with off-field troubles.