Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

Cue the "COPS" theme music, but take note — all subjects are innocent until proven stupid in a court of public opinion.

The Tuesday edition of The Denver Post included an Associated Press brief about Nigel Carr, a linebacker for the Florida State Seminoles, freed on a $15,750 bond after being jailed on two counts of auto burglary, criminal mischief, credit card theft and fraud.

Not to be outdone, it was also reported in the same edition that David Sims, a senior safety for the Iowa State Cyclones, was being investigated for unlawful use of a stolen credit card.

I can't figure out for the life of me what, if anything, goes on in the minds of such privileged individuals.

Both universities are Division I schools, where players have ample opportunities to be seen by NFL scouts. Great play at this level is often rewarded by great paychecks in the future. Beyond that, both players were getting substantial breaks on tuition due to the scholarships they received for being able to play football well.

The out-of-state tuition at Florida State is $17,171, while it costs $17,668 to attend Iowa State from outside of Iowa, according to the Princeton Review. So Carr's bond was less than $2,000 away from what it takes the average student to attend Florida State for a year.

It irks me to no end as a parent. Like many parents reading this, I was unable to provide financial help to my daughter, who just finished up her undergraduate studies. She is also moving on to grad school, footing the bill on her own, but not resorting to a life of crime in order to do so.

Yet the prospect of a free education is not enough incentive for these two players. Unfortunately, they are not alone, as similar stories pop up in the sports pages with alarming regularity.

Division I schools take care of their athletes. I'm reasonably sure neither Carr nor Sims were living in their cars and heating up Ramen noodles over cans of Sterno. These boys are fed and housed by the schools that are also attempting to educate them.

But some of life's hardest lessons are learned outside of the classroom.

Not that it takes a rocket scientist to understand that if the name on the credit card is different than your own, it's a crime to try to use it. The same holds true for entering a car that is not your own.

It all comes down to choices. Students choose which school they want to attend and what they want to study; some parents choose to work extra hard in order for their children to be able to afford their educations; and athletic programs make (hopefully) careful choices as to the caliber of person they offer scholarships to.

As new Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher said in the AP brief, "You've got to make choices and there's repercussions, good or bad."

Maybe there should be a new required class offered to all incoming college freshman athletes — something like "Choices 101."

Contact Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.