When news is also non news

Sorry to go zen-like on you so early in the a.m. but the caffeine has yet to kick in and we're struggling.

Yes, Fresno State's Dwight O'Neill has been arrested. No, he didn't harm anyone as it seems more a case of that youthful invincibility combined with a dab or two of Hammer's "You Can't Touch This" -- (notice most of our cultural references are decades old?)

Bulldogs' O'Neil jailed on warrant
Fresno State player given a week for license violation.
Daniel Lyght
The Fresno Bee
January 30, 2009

Fresno State guard Dwight O'Neil is expected to spend the next week in Fresno County Jail after he was arrested on a warrant for driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Police spokesman Jeff Cardinale said O'Neil was pulled over Thursday at approximately 11 p.m. driving a red Dodge near the intersection of Maple and Kings Canyon in southeast Fresno. Cardinale did not have specifics on why O'Neil was pulled over.

O'Neil was arrested and booked into jail about 1:30 a.m. Friday on the misdemeanor charge, after it was learned during the stop that he had an outstanding warrant...

Go here for the remainder.

The larger issue is that O'Neill is a fifth-year player, a senior -- the only one on the roster -- and theoretically a team leader for the youthful Bulldogs. Sure he let himself down, but more importantly, he failed his team. He was also suspended for a game a short while back for inappropriate behavior and is also mourning the recent loss of an uncle -- not a good time for this young man.

We don't wish to pile on so we'll leave it at what we just wrote. Let's hope these past couple of weeks will truly be a learning experience for O'Neill and that he will emerge with a greater self awareness and a higher degree of responsibility to those around him.