Cecil Hurt clears up the story.

[DKW 86 7,426]

http://www.tidesports.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../609080346/1016

Basically cans the Bham News story as it was discredited here on this forum. BTW guys, as you read this, rem,ember that the Tide fans are likely gonna be very upset that they were lied to by the Bham News. That story was a total crock. Rapaport wrote it because Mellick and Golberg were running away from it.

So have a little compassion here. The good tide fans are pretty much victims here too.

Simpson’s community service is at county jail

By Cecil Hurt

Sports Editor

Juwan Simpson is in “strenuous" community service.

TUSCALOOSA | Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ted Sexton told The Tuscaloosa News on Thursday that it was “not uncommon" for college students to fulfill community service obligations at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where University of Alabama linebacker Juwan Simpson has been working recently.

However, Sexton noted that the jail is a “strenuous" community service option.

“It’s a labor-intensive program as opposed to some of the other kinds of community service programs," Sexton told The News.

Simpson’s work at the County Jail does count as part of the community service that was required as part of a plea agreement in Jefferson County court. Simpson entered a guilty plea June 29 to a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession and was placed in a program that could allow the charge to be erased from his record. He was sentenced to serve 50 hours of community service, pay $200 a month for drug-program dues, be subject to random drug testing and meet periodically with a case manager. He also paid court costs and a fine related to another guilty plea involving misdemeanor possession of a handgun.

“The only way we will take somebody [in the jail’s community service program] is with a court order, which came from Jefferson County in this case," Sexton said. “It is not unusual for the order to come from outside Tuscaloosa County. We have had students from all over the state who are in school here at the university or at Shelton State."

Sexton said he had not spoken with Crimson Tide head coach Mike Shula about Simpson’s case, but that he and James Taggart, the chief of operations at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, had spoken to “another coach at Alabama" about placing Simpson in the program. Sexton did not identify the coach.

“We would not take someone just for a team violation or something like that," Sexton said. “They have other punishments for that. We do require the court order, but I think [the Alabama coach] wanted to be sure that [simpson] was in a tough community service program.

“We had him washing cars, cutting the grass, picking up trash and doing other manual labor details," Sexton said.

“When we get college students, we work the stew out of them. In fact, if they are big and strong, we work them harder."

Sexton said that community service workers did not interact directly with prisoners at the jail.

“We have enough projects to keep them busy," Sexton said. “It’s tough. For instance, when we loaded the trucks [with supplies] to go to New Orleans after Katrina last year, we used some of our community-service college students to do the loading."

The Birmingham News reported Thursday that Simpson was working at the jail and was also working at the Rise School of Tuscaloosa, an early childhood education program located on the UA campus.

Simpson played in Alabama’s opening game against Hawaii last Saturday game. Shula said at the time that Simpson “had proved himself to his coaches and his teammates" and was therefore allowed to play rather than serving a suspension. Since that day, neither Shula nor Simpson has had any additional comment concerning the matter.

Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0225

[Tiger in Spain 0]

You're right. It's the dirt road alumni that will go looking for Cecil Hurt.

The "Cecil Hurt is a stinkin' liar" campaign starts in 5....4....3....

[WarTim 3,456]

I am gettting "Sea Sick" from all of this spinning. At this rate, this story is NOT going away and it is only a matter of time before it reaches critical mass. One day some uninformed/unbiased reporter will hit on the facts.

Time will tell.............

[TigerOne 1,147]

I am gettting "Sea Sick" from all of this spinning. At this rate, this story is NOT going away and it is only a matter of time before it reaches critical mass. One day some uninformed/unbiased reporter will hit on the facts.

Time will tell.............

like say the New York Times

[AUesquire 1]

I'm sure that Shanehead from Sinnerpoint is already on the case. He seemed to have the whole scoop on the NYT story and knew what was really going on. He's probably getting ready to read on air his copy of the actual police report he obtained just today.

[WarTim 3,456]

I'm sure that Shanehead from Sinnerpoint is already on the case. He seemed to have the whole scoop on the NYT story and knew what was really going on. He's probably getting ready to read on air his copy of the actual police report he obtained just today.

Watching the uat spin machine in action is a thing of beauty. This story is gaining momentum and it will run it's corse.

Time will tell.......

[Tigermike 3,035]

I'm sure that Shanehead from Sinnerpoint is already on the case. He seemed to have the whole scoop on the NYT story and knew what was really going on. He's probably getting ready to read on air his copy of the actual police report he obtained just today.

Watching the uat spin machine in action is a thing of beauty. This story is gaining momentum and it will run it's corse.

Time will tell.......

They ain't very good at it are they? The whole thing has spun out of control. They never expected this to stay in the spotlight for this long.