Michigan State running back LJ Scott arrested for suspended license
Michigan State running back LJ Scott was arrested for driving with a suspended license Wednesday night, but it’s hardly a first-time offense.
After a 3-9 campaign in 2016, the Michigan State Spartans are back on the national radar with a 5-1 record as the 18th-ranked team in the country. Running back LJ Scott returned to action after missing a game last week and had 25 carries for a career-high 194 yards with two touchdowns against Minnesota.
But heading into Saturday’s game against Indiana, Scott has made news for the wrong reasons. According to Christopher Haxel of the Lansing State Journal, Scott was arrested Wednesday on a charge of driving with a suspended license. He was later released after posting bond but the story doesn’t end there.
Over the past year alone, Scott has been charged with driving without a license or driving on a suspended license six other times in Ohio (his home state) or Michigan. Based on that record, his current charge carries up to a year in jail if he’s convicted. Normally, per Haxel, it would be a misdemeanor carrying a potential 93-day jail sentence.
It’s unclear if the school or Spartans football coach Mark Dantonio know about Scott’s recent driving problems, but they do now that it’s gotten out in the media. A suspension could be coming from Dantonio, but Pat Forde of Yahoo! summed up a course of action on multiple sides pretty nicely.
Unsolicited suggestions for the Scott family and Michigan State: Take away his car keys and take away his uniform for the game Saturday.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) October 19, 2017
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Scott started slowly this season, before missing the game against Michigan and breaking out last week. That should not matter in the big picture since the senior running back simply can’t seem to act like a responsible adult with his driving privileges. But major athletic programs have overlooked more serious offenses than Scott’s to allow someone to play as long as that someone can help win games. Maybe Scott will have to sit out of the first drive Saturday against Indiana? He’ll surely learn his lesson then.