I’ve asked for your thoughts on Justin Blackmon, now mine:

Justin Blackmon will learn from this situation

by Brandon Chatmon
bchatmon@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter @BChatmon

I’ve asked Oklahoma State fans for their thoughts on Justin Blackmon so it’s only fair that I share mine, right? I was holding off until Mike Gundy made a decision and the beginnings of some type of closure were in motion but here are my some of my thoughts.

–First off, it’s quite interesting how quickly people judge and how self righteous we have become. Without even knowing details of the situation people were jumping to conclusions. First it happened with Dez, (all of a sudden nobody in America had ever lied) now it’s happened with Blackmon. You learn a lot about people in times like these.

–Secondly, having been around Justin Blackmon, I agree with everything Gundy has said about him. He’s one of the top five PEOPLE I’ve covered, a great human being. He just made a mistake and should pay for it.

–One game is plenty, the national attention and seeing how his actions have altered the world around him will do the rest. Not to mention that Stairmaster…

–Hopefully it’s clear at this point the severity of the DUI citation he received in Texas. It’s on the same level as theft under $50, park curfews and parking violations as opposed to a DWI which is a Class B misdemeanor usually resulting from being over .08. Under Texas law, as a minor he can receive a DUI if the officer smells alcohol in the vehicle or on him without even being tested to see if he has any traceable amount in his system. There’s a reason he was cited for DUI not DWI and there’s a reason why he was released within six hours of being detained.

–He handled it like a man. I can think of plenty of adults (which had he been an adult over 21 not a minor, things may have turned out differently) who wouldn’t have handled it like Blackmon did.  Less than 48 hours after he was released, he’s holding a press conference and talking to the media to express his embarrassment and remorse with statements like “I take full responsibility”, “I did it, I should be punished for it”, “own up to my mistake” and “I look forward to proving this is not who I am” while publicly apologizing for his actions.

–One thing that really bothers me is the hit his national reputation will take simply because people see the letters DUI. It’s unfortunate but he has nobody to blame but himself. His speeding put himself in a position where his destiny was no longer in his own control, and he knows that. It’s still unfortunate though.

–I’m not saying what he did was right, he made multiple bad decisions. My first thought when hearing how fast he was going on I-35 at night was: “What if they hit a deer or something?” Bad, bad decision.

–I feel like I know Justin well enough that I don’t think, I know he will grow from this and make better decisions. If people judged me based off decisions I made at 19, 20, 21, I’d have fewer friends and a worse reputation. That’s reason No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 why I always will try to reserve judgement when college athletes get in trouble. I became a better person, and I have no doubt Justin Blackmon will too.