Cam Robinson's arresting officer 'hates LSU,' disputing Saban's alleged claims
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum told The Advocate that Alabama head coach Nick Saban “indicated” Wednesday that the Monroe (Louisiana) officers who arrested Crimson Tide players Cam Robinson and Hootie Jones in May were LSU fans.
Monroe Police public information officer Chris Bates told Gannett Louisiana that Saban’s claims aren’t true. In fact, Bates said the first officer on the scene that night “hates LSU.”
[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for entertaining things you won’t see on the blog]
“I can tell you for a fact that the first officer on the scene is not an LSU fan,” Bates told Glenn Guilbeau. “He hates LSU. He doesn’t like the color yellow or purple and gold. In fact, he’s a Florida fan. If you mention LSU around him, he throws up in his mouth. Most of our officers are LSU fans, but we have some who are Arkansas fans and Georgia fans and Alabama fans. And I’ll tell you this, the first officer did not even know those guys were players.”
Robinson, an All-SEC offensive tackle, and Jones, a backup defensive back, were arrested on weapon and marijuana charges in the early morning hours of May 17. The two, along with two other men, were sitting in a parked car in a Monroe (the players’ hometown) park when officers found a small amount of marijuana. Jones is said to have had a handgun on his lap and there was a stolen handgun under Robinson’s seat.
In June, Ouachita Parish District Attorney Jerry Jones decided to drop the charges.
“I want to emphasize once again that the main reason I’m doing this is that I refuse to ruin the lives of two young men who have spent their adolescence and teenage years, working and sweating, while we were all in the air conditioning,” Jones said at the time.
[Visit Dr. Saturday on Facebook for stories you might have missed and chat with the writers]
Saban said Wednesday at SEC Media Days that he likely won’t suspend the two players involved once they complete assigned community service. With Saban on set, Finebaum criticized the decision during an on-air segment on SEC Network, calling it a “very bad look” to not suspend them for the opener against USC.
Saban did not take kindly to that.
“There were four people in the car,” Saban said. “Why did the two football players get arrested and the other two guys not get arrested? There’s now law about concealed weapons in Louisiana … So why did they search the car just because there was a gun on his seat?”
Did Paul @Finebaum strike a nerve with Nick Saban on the Cam Robinson situation? Watch:https://t.co/BySCqTJbB2
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) July 13, 2016
According to Al.com, Saban continued with a “tirade” toward Finebaum off the air. At that point, Saban reportedly said that the officers are LSU fans.
Despite any insinuation of wrongdoing, Bates said the first responding officer saw the men in “plain view” when the park was closed.
“Our officer was doing his job,” Bates said. “They were not supposed to be there. He called for backup, and the other officers arrived and made the arrest. We enforce the law based on the law.”
For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.
– – – – – – –
Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
