“Outside the Lines” is an Emmy award-winning series that investigates ongoing issues that is affecting the different sports communities, which airs on ESPN. Recently reporter Paula Lavigne called out state colleges and requested that all the different police reports surrounding student athletes were to be revealed to the public. She stated in an email, which was sent back in September, to the Tallahassee Police Department that this is only for educational and analytical purposes.
Her statement went as followed, “Although we are not required to provide a reason for our request, rest assured this is not a “fishing expedition.” This is part of an analytical study and the number of hits, or lack thereof, is all part of the reporting. The officer narrative is also part of the data collection and is a necessary element.”
The police department had responded by providing the information that was requested, and it was found that there were 360 cases open against different students at Florida State University alone. The cases spanned from theft to assault, but they were all documented and presented to the media to shine a light on the issue of letting those with criminal records play sports. This number is extremely high for one school alone. Who knows how many other students have been associated with crime at Florida State University.
Photo : Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel
