October 6, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Wes Brown (4) gains yardage against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Byrd Stadium. Maryland beat Wake Forest 19-14. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Being without a smartphone nowadays makes you acutely aware of how much you rely on it for pertinent information, like Wes Brown being arrested and booted off the team! I cannot believe I missed that while my phone was doing water aerobics deep in a southern Maryland creek, but this is very bad news for the sophomore RB.
Fortunately for me, the Baltimore Sun detailed the entire sequence in great detail (as the link above provides in case you missed it) so I am able to relive the action. The entire altercation arose because Wes Brown was deemed a “person of interest” in a non-fatal shooting that took place in Baltimore last month. Brown’s car is said to have been the vehicle that was used during the shooting, which, in layman’s terms, means that he has some explaining to do.
Brown was then asked to be brought in for questioning when an undercover police officer detected his car in the parking lot at 7356 Baltimore Avenue last Wednesday night. At that point, Brown wished his parents to accompany him to the station, among other things, and that’s when things got messy.
You can read about the altercation here, but long story short? Brown swung at a cop, recorded the altercation using someone’s cell phone while he was fleeing on foot, and finally was handcuffed on the ground, arrested, and released on bail afterwards.
The team has suspended him indefinitely, which is understandable given the severity of his actions. Unfortunately, this will likely mean no more Wes Brown for this season, given how long these processes take to play themselves out fully. Even if Brown is absolved from any guilt related to the shooting, he will likely face disciplinary charges levied by the school relating to his alleged assault on an officer and fleeing from the police.
Brown is in a world of hurt right now, and while he is clearly innocent until proven guilty, it’s safe to presume he will be scratched from the depth chart to start the season. From a football perspective, Brown likely won’t be playing this year unless the legal proceeding move with haste, but they often don’t. That leaves the Terrapins with Brandon Ross, Albert Reid, and Joe Riddle to split carries this season.
Wes Brown was going to be a factor with the Terrapins this year, though, as he was thought to be in line for a substantial amount of carries assuming he came back 100% healthy from shoulder surgery. Now, that’s not the case. Brown needs to be focused on clearing his name entirely, and accepting whatever fate he laid for himself.
I don’t feel comfortable trying to haphazardly guess what Brown was thinking at the time of his arrest, but I can say that he is a 19 year old, and 19 year olds do dumb things. His fleeing from the cops is not an admission of guilt into a shooting, it could’ve easily been a result of panic when facing a Prince George’s County PD that isn’t particularly kind to students. Who knows. The only absolute certainty is that this isn’t good.
In the meantime, we at TSMD hope the best for Brown, and will continue to provide coverage and analysis as it becomes apparent to us.