Texas safety Robert Joseph was arrested Saturday morning after he was found sitting in a Mercedes that didn't belong to him. Approached by an off-duty police officer outside the Omni Hotel, Joseph bolted from the scene.
As if that wasn't stupid enough, he didn't even flee the scene completely. He was found 10 minutes later inside another car, this one belonging to man who lives in Georgetown.
Okay, so let me get this straight. Joseph is sitting in someone else's Merc, is approached by an off-duty cop, flees (sort of), then gets in someone else's car. He's arrested.
Oh, my.
This arrest goes far beyond stupidity; it's in a class all by itself, like one of those "Stoopid News" bits you read in the weekly papers, where a burglar manages to phone the cops himself.
Beyond the sheer idiocy of Joseph's actions, they're criminal. He's in jail on two Class A misdemeanor counts. Certain members of the Longhorn fanbase cry foul when Mack Brown shuns elite prospects with shady pasts. Today's arrest is precisely why such kids aren't worth the risk.
I haven't much information on Joseph's background, but this is at least the first that I've heard of any trouble with the kid. Given the nature of the crime - details pending - if Joseph is guilty of what he's charged, it's hard to imagine Mack Brown doing anything other than kicking him off the team.
As bizarre as the details are, though, we'll withhold final judgment until we know everything that happened. If Joseph is on the hook for attempted car theft, well, b-bye son. I hope you get your act together down the road. If something else was going on - and as weird as this is, it's certainly possible - I suppose it's possible Joseph manages to stick around.
As far as football is concerned, losing Joseph would really frustrate me, as I had grand plans for the sophomore safety. He flashed some brilliance as a true freshman in the secondary last season.
No brilliance, I'm afraid, this weekend.
Ugh...
--PB--