Arizona Football permanently loses another player, this time to seven domestic violence charges. As his teammates mourn his loss, they have to move on quickly to focus on their next opponent, the Rainbow Warriors.
Late Wednesday Arizona Football sophomore running back Orlando Bradford was booked into Pima County jail on multiple counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping. Just hours earlier, head coach Rich Rodriguez wasted no time handing Bradford his pink slip, essentially ending the young man’s football career.
Common Law in the United States presumes one is innocent until proven guilty, so the evidence against Bradford (was the co-starting running back) must be solid for Rodriguez to act so swiftly. Apparently, Bradford also allegedly admitted he caused the injuries to his girlfriend, which may have been all the coach needed.
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The Arizona Athletics department put out a statement from head coach Rich Rodriguez:
"“Earlier today, we were made aware that Orlando Bradford had been arrested. As a result of his actions, he has been dismissed from the program.”"
Rich Rod’s decisive action also sends a clear message to the football team that there is no special treatment for anyone who chooses this behavior. This is a good life lesson for all Arizona students and athletes and a reminder of what parents continually tell their kids–actions have consequences.
Both Arizona Athletics and Arizona Football Twitter accounts were quiet about the situation. Instead, they chose to focus on the new uniforms which will be unveiled for the Wildcats matchup with Hawaii. However, Orlando Bradford’s Twitter was alive and well through September 14th, the day of his arrest. Bradford retweeted many tweets from a Bible verse account he followed. Here is his last tweet:
Bradford’s friends are shocked at the turn of events in his life saying this is not like him. God is part of his life, and this tweet seems prophetic:
It is a shock for an individual to wake up in the stark, cold atmosphere of jail for the first time. It is the lowest of lows, likely worse for someone who has had opportunities, as Orlando Bradford had. Hopefully, he accepts the counsel and companionship of the jail’s chaplain so he can come out of this situation a better person.
Arizona has had enough distractions already in this young season, so it’s best to move forward and focus on Saturday. Coach Rodriguez will have to make some adjustments heading into Saturday’s game against Hawaii.
Bradford was supposed to share duties with Nick Wilson this season, although through the first two games he only had two carries. The Wildcats have depended heavily on Wilson, but they need to get some other players in the mix to be less predictable and also to protect Wilson from more injuries.
Highly touted freshman JJ Taylor is likely to get some carries. He’s small, just 5’6″, but he is solid and blew through defenses in high school while playing in California and is ready to do the same at the collegiate level. Branden Leon, a sophomore walk-on from Avondale, Arizona, was praised highly by Rodriguez after spring practice. Another option at running back is Zach Green, a redshirt junior from Miami, Florida. Of the three, Taylor has the most versatility, but the others bring a bit more collegiate experience.
Next: Hawaii vs. Arizona Preview
For the second time this season, the Wildcats will take the field permanently minus a teammate. Now more than ever, it is time to Bear Down. We send our support to everyone affected by this situation especially the victim. Stay focused, Arizona, wear the special uniforms proudly, and get the win over Hawaii!
UPDATE 9/16/2016: Orlando Bradford was re-arrested for four more counts of domestic violence, this time, the victim added an alleged “strangling” and threats to her life to her account of the happenings. This is just getting worse before it gets better. His bail has now doubled according to documents obtained by Tucson.com from $20,000 to $40,000 in light of the most recent information.