FSU QB Francois arrested

[Lettucexxxx]

The hypocrisy of how the US is handling the legalization is appalling.

It should all be legalized. The amount of effort put forth to prevent a macaroni and cheese drug deal hurts my ticker.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Seems like a guy working his way through college wouldn’t be spending lots of money on weed, but I guess you could say the same about beer.

I have friends who smoke pot, but never any that were putting themselves through school.

Know some pot smokers who “tried” to put themselves through school but failed.

 

[RocketDawg]

Looks to me like the Tallahassee PD has a hard on for FSU football players, not the relationship you'd hope to have if you were a fan or coach. Francois also seems to have a friend w an axe to grind.

Surveiled him and collected his garbage for 2 months? You would think if he were any sort of even mid level dealer they could've had enough evidence in less than a week. Then they choose a time to do their "raid" and find half an ounce??? Pathetic

Plus it may have even been his roomate's or girlfriend's like he claims

Not necessarily. If they'd obey the law there'd be no problem. It's that simple. Are you also implying that football players should get preferential treatment from the local police? They're just like anybody else ... not above the law.

 

[Go Budaw]

Regardless of what anyone thinks of the law, it's illegal, and nobody made him do this. Any 18yo is old enough to know and understand the consequences. Especially if you are putting on a uniform of any kind to represent an organization.

You are right. It is illegal. Just like jaywalking, driving 1 mph over the speed limit, drinking beer when you are 20 years and 11 months old, or having a gum wrapper fly out your window when driving down the interstate. All are ticket-able misdemeanors or decriminalized acts (just like having a little weed). I’d venture a guess that everyone on this board does at least one of those things every day.

So yeah, it is a travesty when a young person has their life ruined as far as future employment opportunities, gets labeled an outlaw by the media, and gets undue discrimination from law enforcement due to ANY of those things, whether they are a star athlete or not.

 

[RocketDawg]

You are right. It is illegal. Just like jaywalking, driving 1 mph over the speed limit, drinking beer when you are 20 years and 11 months old, or having a gum wrapper fly out your window when driving down the interstate. All are ticket-able misdemeanors or decriminalized acts (just like having a little weed). I’d venture a guess that everyone on this board does at least one of those things every day.

So yeah, it is a travesty when a young person has their life ruined as far as future employment opportunities, gets labeled an outlaw by the media, and gets undue discrimination from law enforcement due to ANY of those things, whether they are a star athlete or not.

Sure, speeding and jaywalking are illegal, and there's no room for complaint if you get a ticket doing one of those things. Most of the time you get away with it ... sometimes you don't. Same with marijuana ... don't complain if you get caught. DUI with either alcohol or weed is a totally different matter than merely getting a ticket.

 

[Go Budaw]

Sure, speeding and jaywalking are illegal, and there's no room for complaint if you get a ticket doing one of those things. Most of the time you get away with it ... sometimes you don't. Same with marijuana ... don't complain if you get caught. DUI with either alcohol or weed is a totally different matter than merely getting a ticket.

I’m not complaining that he got caught. I’m complaining about the extreme measures that were used to catch him and how big of a waste it was of legal resources, tax payer money, and media coverage. Also noting as well how it can seriously have a negative effect on the kid’s life in the future over something that is completely trivial. How would you feel if you had a surveillance team following you around downtown Starkville for 2 months while just waiting on you to walk directly from Moe’s BBQ to Hotel Chester without using the crosswalk? How would you like it if cops were going through your garbage for 2 months, finding a few beer cans and then raiding your apartment under the premise they thought you were making moonshine (only to give you a citation for minor in possession)? It’s completely absurd.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Just bc they didn’t find anything doesn’t mean he is innocent. Doesn’t mean he is guilty either.
I find it hard to believe they just targeted him for no reason. There isn’t a win in that scenario for the police department.

 

[MagicDawg]

Yawn. Man enough to take the risk, man enough to take the punishment. I've done my own crimes and my own times. Everybody here is old enough to weigh risks.

Don't like the law? Work to change it. God knows I've done my share of campaigning for rule changes/updates in organizations as well as in government. In the meantime, you follow the rules -- ESPECIALLY if you have a lot to lose.

Ad hominem me all you want. I accept the consequence of my choice to post my opinion even if I think the consequences are dumb. (See how that works?)

Hail State!

 

[Go Budaw]

Just bc they didn’t find anything doesn’t mean he is innocent. Doesn’t mean he is guilty either.
I find it hard to believe they just targeted him for no reason. There isn’t a win in that scenario for the police department.

Yeah there is, if you think he is selling they can stake out his place and do staged buys with undercover folks. That’s first day stuff if you are DEA or in any type of drug enforcement division of law enforcement. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a dude getting his house raided over one dude’s eye witness account (not even a buyer, just a dude who says he saw something) and some burnt out joints in his garbage. Completely unjustified search and seizure by any metric out there.

 

[MSU601Dawg]

Not necessarily. If they'd obey the law there'd be no problem. It's that simple. Are you also implying that football players should get preferential treatment from the local police? They're just like anybody else ... not above the law.

No, but like others in this thread have stated, it looks like they're doing the opposite of preferential treatment. Staking someone out for 2 MONTHS that had half an ounce?

Seems like they're going out of their way to be harder in athletes to bring some sort of publicity or notoriety to their PD.

I bet you were upset when the starkville PD didn't let Dak go when he blew below .08 but still got charged w a DUI anyway, right? This is way worse than that

 

[engie]

I bet you were upset when the starkville PD didn't let Dak go when he blew below .08 but still got charged w a DUI anyway, right?

Dak never blew anything. Neither breathalyzer test positive. No bloodshot eyes, no alcohol in the vehicle, no slurred speech, no issue with motor skills. Was pulled over for speeding by a cop that wasn't even certified to be using his radar equipment. This is a bad example.

 

[fishwater99]

For the record, I agree with you, and you are right.

Wonder what the Down voters think abt having 3 beers and getting a DUI.

You can't get beers at strong in Mississippi unless you weigh a hundred pounds.

 

[engie]

He is. He's paying his little bitty fine. Dealing with the PR hit of this situation which no one is actually taking seriously. And will probably be an early round draft pick next April.

 

[13thEagle]

My guess is he was buying an ounce at a time and selling enough so that he could make his money back and smoke the remaining weed for free. Police just picked a bad time to raid. If they had raided when he had the full ounce, then they wouldn't be facing this controversy. Seventeen grams is still a lot for a college student to possess in a state that does not have legal recreational use.

In Perry county mississippi thats called a business man

 

[MSU601Dawg]

Dak never blew anything. Neither breathalyzer test positive. No bloodshot eyes, no alcohol in the vehicle, no slurred speech, no issue with motor skills. Was pulled over for speeding by a cop that wasn't even certified to be using his radar equipment. This is a bad example.

So Dak doesn't seem drunk at all, blows twice and neither test positive, and gets charged w/ DUI anyway doesn't seem like an example of the cops going out of their way to show that they aren't giving preferential treatment to athletes/celebs? Or that they have a hard on for busting athletes?

Seems like almost the exact same thing. They surveil Francois for 2 months, collect his garbage, see no one going in and out of the apt frequently or no large trails of cash, yet decide to do a "raid" anyway and all they find is evidence that someone in the apt (maybe not even Francois) smoke about as much weed as 60-80% of college students?

You think all guys on a campus that carry that amount of weed daily get that kind of scrutiny?

 

[engie]

Yes, it’s a big crock of crap that should cost people their jobs. I’m shocked a judge was willing to sign off on the search warrant for Francois given the information we actually have.

 

[tatedog]

For the record, I agree with you, and you are right.

Wonder what the Down voters think abt having 3 beers and getting a DUI.

I think if the police used surveillance specifically on me for two months in my residence to hit me with a low end DUI I'd be pretty pissed. I'd like to think most taxpayers would be.

 

[tatedog]

Just bc they didn’t find anything doesn’t mean he is innocent. Doesn’t mean he is guilty either.
I find it hard to believe they just targeted him for no reason. There isn’t a win in that scenario for the police department.

Seriously, you can't see the reason?

 

[tatedog]

Sure, speeding and jaywalking are illegal, and there's no room for complaint if you get a ticket doing one of those things. Most of the time you get away with it ... sometimes you don't. Same with marijuana ... don't complain if you get caught. DUI with either alcohol or weed is a totally different matter than merely getting a ticket.

There's a huge difference between "getting caught" and having a highway patrolman tail your car in perpetuity itching to write you a ticket. I guess if you aren't the one being tailed, it's not your problem.

 

[paindonthurt_]

I’d be pissed too but I’d also realize i have no one to blame but myself.

 

[paindonthurt_]

What’s the reason?
Bc he’s black? A football player?

 

[tatedog]

What’s the reason?
Bc he’s black? A football player?

I had no idea what color the guy was. His name indicated white if anything to me actually. But yes, he was a name that would make headlines. If this happened to me or you do you seriously think it would be getting this much coverage? That's a loaded question... it wouldn't happen to me or you. Of course maybe I'm wrong. If the Tallahassee police dept. has a history of prolonged home surveillance of random citizenry resulting in arrests for this amount of illicit substance, I stand corrected. For Christ's sake the FBI only watched Tony Soprano's home for 3 episodes.

 

[tatedog]

I’d be pissed too but I’d also realize i have no one to blame but myself.

I think you could also reasonably blame an over zealous police state that is more intent on making a name for itself than protecting its citizens from harm, but taking into account your testimony that you are above reproach, I'll trust you that you wouldn't.

 

[tatedog]

Yes, it’s a big crock of crap that should cost people their jobs. I’m shocked a judge was willing to sign off on the search warrant for Francois given the information we actually have.

I wish I could say I was shocked, but it seems we have finally reached the point where "the ends justify the means" is a legal foundation of thought. That is the antithesis of our constitution, but here we are.

 

[deadheaddawg]

I wonder if all the people posting this "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" BS would support Moorhead kicking off every player under 21 he catches with a beer.

Afterall that's illegal and Alcohol is far worse for an individual and society than weed. Far worse. It's not even debatable (unless you are an idiot)

So if you really believe that, I hope you stand by that and ask Moorhead to clean up the underage drinking on our team

 

[paindonthurt_]

Blah blah blah. Simple fact is we are responsible for our actions.

 

[paindonthurt_]

I mean the Starkville police department put some surveillance in for a streaker.
I guess you could argue after a few incidents he was well known.

And why would the police department want the publicity they are getting right now?

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Our marijuana laws are such a burden on society. If Francois is a non-athlete, his chances at an education could be over now. If he’s working his way through college, he’s probably fired when this goes public. Good luck paying tuition.

Not to mention if he was charged / convicted of a felony. He can no longer vote, he’s got a massive hurdle when trying to get a job now too.

Personal responsibility; 100% his fault. There IS a law. He chose to break it. Nobody HAS to smoke weed. People do HAVE to live within the law or pay the price. I speed. I’ll still respectfully take, and pay, my ticket if I get pulled over. I won’t whine about how speeding really isn’t all that dangerous except in certain circumstances and how I enjoy speeding and it’s never caused me to have a wreck and the law just shouldn’t exist...

 

[fishwater99]

I wonder if all the people posting this "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" BS would support Moorhead kicking off every player under 21 he catches with a beer.

Afterall that's illegal and Alcohol is far worse for an individual and society than weed. Far worse. It's not even debatable (unless you are an idiot)

So if you really believe that, I hope you stand by that and ask Moorhead to clean up the underage drinking on our team

View attachment 10056

 

[horshack.sixpack]

"Along with the privilege of going to school for free due to your football skills" Really, don't you mean the privilege to make your school millions of dollars.

It's a free education. A 6 figure value these days. Again, he knew the rules of engagement when he signed the scholarship and was pretty excited to do it. If he doesn't want to attend an educational institution, it is his choice. Life is all about personal choices and taking responsibility for those. If there is any party that should be questioned about this issue, it is the US Labor Dept. for allowing age based discrimination to exist in the NFL. No good reason that an capable 18 y.o. should be forced into an educational system that he is not interested in attending.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Yeah that’s not really a good comparison.

Let’s say a red camaro was seen flying down the same road or area every day and then the cops starting watching that area. Would that be ok?

That’s way different than just jumping behind some random car and following it for miles.

 

[paindonthurt_]

3 beers at 180 lbs in an hr is around a 0.06
4 beers at 180 lbs is around a 0.08
Drink 3 6% beers and you are getting damn close

 

[tatedog]

Yeah that’s not really a good comparison.

Let’s say a red camaro was seen flying down the same road or area every day and then the cops starting watching that area. Would that be ok?

That’s way different than just jumping behind some random car and following it for miles.

In your opinion which is worse?

1) following a random car

2) following a car because the person at the wheel is a known name

The fault here lies with the judge. If a warrant was to be issued, he should have told the police you have 72 hours to bring me something that shows Mr. Francois is the second coming of Scarface. If you can't do that, back off. He let it go on far too long.

 

[paindonthurt_]

I like to drink and I know some potheads.

I know what they appear to be contributing to society

 

[Go Budaw]

Yeah that’s not really a good comparison.

Let’s say a red camaro was seen flying down the same road or area every day and then the cops starting watching that area. Would that be ok?

That’s way different than just jumping behind some random car and following it for miles.

No, tatedog’s comparison was spot on. Cops watching an area of road would be equivalent to them searching everybody’s trash in Francois’s whole neighborhood. But that isn’t what happened.

 

[paindonthurt_]

No it’s not.

I’m positive they had some sort of evidence or justification to follow him. In today’s world there is no 17ing way they would get away with just targeting him and getting a search warrant just bc they had an axe to grind.

Absolutely no 17ing way. And if that is true, no way they will get away with it. And I’ll then say I was wrong and the cops get what they deserve.

Scenario 1 - person A has been witnessed to having drugs or selling drugs or paraphernalia. Cops spend time watching him.

Scenario 2 - red camaro is seen speeding down HWY 1 daily around 5p. Cops set up shop with a radar around 5p and bust red camaro after 3 days.

**** 17 damn. It’s real simple dubmasses.

 

[deadheaddawg]

I like to drink and I know some potheads.

I know what they appear to be contributing to society

lol.

That's pretty stupid argument. I know lots of professional people who smoke weed and contribute to society.

And I know a bunch of alcoholics that don't. They live off the govt.

What do you want to do, see which one of use has more friends and relatives or should we compare known facts about what damage alcohol causes society and the body vs pot?

You pick. I can roll either way. Meaningless personal experience or undisputable facts. Either way you go alcohol is much worse for an individual person and society.

Your experience with your loser pothead cousin doesn't mean anything more than my experience with my alcoholic "disabled" cousin

 

[deadheaddawg]

I can't believe people think that people who smoke pot are incapable of contributing to society. It shows such a lack of actual knowledge. They base it off of a few losers they know that smoke it, all the while oblivious to all the other "regular" people around them that smoke

 

[paindonthurt_]

Oh I agree. Our personal experiences mean ****. So you give me some hard facts on why weed is ok and alcohol is the devil.

 

[paindonthurt_]

I didn’t say people who smoke pot cant contribute to society.
Never implied it either.

What I did say is if you break the law and get caught? Tough 17ing ****. It’s your fault whether it’s drinking, smoking, or speeding.