Lessons learned from Draymond Green-Jermaine Edmondson incident

By Keith Dunlap | Jul 14, 2016

Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans cornerback Jermaine Edmondson (39) looks on as Alabama Crimson Tide players huddle during the third quarter in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

What Draymond Green, Jermaine Edmondson and others can do going forward after scene at East Lansing bar.

Now that another chapter was added to the long-running book “How bad things usually happen at bars on college campuses after 2 a.m.” in East Lansing this past weekend, now would be a good time to sort out the lessons that can be taken out of it for the main characters in the scene, and also those who took a serious interest.

Of course, many know now that one of MSU’s current most famous alums, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, was arrested for punching MSU football player Jermaine Edmondson outside an East Lansing bar in the wee hours of the morning on Monday.

More from Michigan State Spartans

Correction, it actually now is FORMER football player Jermaine Edmondson, a reserve defensive back who on Wednesday was officially released from his scholarship so he could pursue a transfer for his upcoming senior year.

MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said his staff and Edmondson had been discussing the move for month since he was third-string on the spring depth chart and releasing Edmondson nothing to do with the incident with Green, but of course the timing of it all made for even more discussion.

Regardless, here are some important lessons for all involved.

Draymond Green

Draymond, rule No. 1 in becoming a famous public figure out of nowhere is that, you are now a famous public figure.

For goodness sake, be careful.

Yes, it could have been a lot worse. There weren’t any reports of weapons being used or drugs being used (Green reportedly did have a blood-alcohol level slightly over the legal limit), so trying to rearrange another’s face is somewhat of a tame crime compared to what other athletes have done.

Green also didn’t do what former football player Glenn Winston did in 2009, when he so badly assaulted MSU hockey player A.J. Sturges that Sturges suffered a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.

Must Read: Michigan State Football: Top 50 players in school history

Still, Green reportedly told Edmondson during an exchange “Don’t you know who I am?” and going forward, Green needs to realize exactly who he is: A rich and famous person who is now even more vulnerable to be targeted.

Jermaine Edmondson

One camp will say that even though Green reportedly bumped Edmondson, that Edmondson should have just let bygones be bygones and not gotten so offended to avoid any sort of conflict.

Another camp will applaud Edmondson’s courage for standing up and defending himself, even if it was against one of the most popular Spartans paying a visit to campus.

I can side with both camps here. Avoiding conflict is always a good idea, no matter how much it hurts to swallow one’s pride. If Edmondson had done that, then maybe so many people right now wouldn’t forever link him to this incident.

Related Story: 30 things all MSU fans need to do in their lifetime

However, Edmondson’s actions in going to the police to say what happened can also be somewhat inspirational in that no matter what you are up against and no matter what people may say, you can always stand up for yourself and those closest to you.

Edmondson reportedly said two of Green’s friends choked he and his girlfriend, and it is admirable to not care about what public perception will be of him in order to take a stand.

Ultimately, Green and his friends might thank Edmondson for not backing down, because as mentioned above, this might be a great lesson for Green going forward.

Every college athlete everywhere

Repeat, good things never happen outside college bars past 2 a.m. Or even midnight for that matter. When stories come out of incidents that took place early in the morning, they aren’t of people feeding the homeless outside an establishment at 1 a.m. or holding rallies for charitable organizations.

The stories usually involve a police report 99.9 percent of the time, so just be reminded of that for the sake of your scholarship and reputation. Thank you.

Home/Michigan State Spartans