Jim McElwain deserves better from a player he went out of his way for.
On August 10th the newest Florida Gators football player tweeted this:
He went out his way for me, now it’s my turn to go out my way for him 🐊🐊👌🏾😎… #OnAMission pic.twitter.com/gWnd7EUCVd
— JAMES ROBINSON IV 4⃣ (@_StunnaJayy_) August 10, 2017
James Robinson was very nearly not a Gator, twice. However, on August 4th Florida head coach Jim McElwain officially welcomed him on campus.
Back in January, Robinson was a four-star recruit visiting Ohio State with offers from most of the college football heavyweights. Robinson would be cited for marijuana possession while on that trip. Subsequently Ohio State and Florida had stopped recruiting him just days before National Signing Day.
When Florida head coach Jim McElwain found out that the UF administration wouldn’t allow Robinson to enroll, he contacted numerous other schools to help Robinson find a spot. McElwain also spoke with the the university’s administration, and ultimately convinced them that the Lakeland, FL native deserved a second chance.
Robinson did an interview with SEC Country in May saying he was embarrassed for the incident.
When Florida’s media days began on August 1, we still weren’t sure of Robinson’s status with the team as he had not been enrolled at UF yet. According to multiple reports there was a holdup between the NCAA and UF regarding meeting academic requirements. By the end of the first week of fall practice, however, Robinson was there.
On Thursday it came to light that Robinson and his teammate freshman linebacker Ventrell Miller were cited with marijuana possession in their on-campus apartment at 12:30 AM on Monday morning. Both players admitted to owning the marijuana.
This is not a debate about the “legal/illegal” status of marijuana in our society. The University itself put out a statement saying that Jim McElwain was aware of the situation and that James Robinson had been at practice all week.
The issue here is that James Robinson forgot about his commitment to a coach that gave him a second chance less than two weeks from typing the above tweet.
[…] Robinson was cited last week for marijuana possession at an on-campus apartment. Robinson was also cited for the same offense while on a recruiting trip to Ohio State in January which almost stalled his recruitment. […]