Freddy Adu's Excellent Adventures

We'd lose 80% of our pros in every sport and league. Most of them are 'kids' in spite of their chronological age. It's the many 30-yr-old kids that worry me.

 

It's actually the independent student newspaper. Not even the school sanctioned one so you can only imagine how much more of a standard of reporting is. God knows if they even have an editor.

The entire article doesn't even prove anyting. It's a bunch of idle specualation and what people say they saw, none of it being Adu actually, for sure drinking anything.

No one ever said they actually saw Adu getting beer from the keg. So far you only have another running up with a cup to get Adu a beer, one he may or may not of asked for. No one said he asked a guy to get him one.

Then you have stuff like:
"He was drinking beer just like everyone else was," said Crabbe. "They had a keg and he had a red cup. He was pretty buzzed ... He was having fun like anyone would at a college party." That's the proof? They had a keg and he had a red cup. The logical conclusion then is that there was beer in that cup and nothing else. Good heavens. They do know that red cups can hold other liquids, right?

It seems the only eye-witness account of anything that can't me misconstrued is this:
"Later that night when the police broke up the party, he helped usher Adu to safety and helped the two of them avoid an underage drinking citation.

"The cops came and we were like, 'Get Freddy Adu out of here,' and we hopped the fence with him," he said.

Never mind that it was a freshman letters and sciences major retelling this great escape.


This one cracks me up:

The night of Sept. 11 was not the only time students have partied with Adu, though. Freshman communications major Melissa Morales partied with the soccer star over the summer in Bethesda, where her family lives.

After meeting Adu and speaking with him during the summer, she didn't expect a 15-year old to be hitting on college women.

"He was good, but he knew it and made sure everybody else knew it, too," she said. "He was trying to get with every girl," Morales said.

The article goes on to say that Adu went to another late-night party, his 3rd of the evening overall. Not bad for a kid that just played a game earlier in the day. And even if a fraction of this story is true with Adu even attending any parties with alcohol, ole' Freddy's going to get it from Mrs. Adu in a big, big way and probably Peter Nowak too.

 

I understand your point, but at the same time, when you are 30, going out and getting drunk is LEGAL. At the age of 15, unless you live in Texas where they serve anyone who can reach the bar, it's illegal. And for the league and DCU to condone his action is a disgrace and dare say sending the wrong message to kids. I mean look at all these kids who idolize Freddy. I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty darn sure if my hero were Freddy Adu, my mom would be throwing out all Freddy paraphernalia once she found out he's been setting the wrong example. i.e. Why all my Jose Conseco stuff disappeared after his little mishaps with guns, drugs and booze.

 

History with Jayson Blair at the paper notwithstanding, The Diamondback is the biggest and most professional newspaper at the University of Maryland. It's circulation is big enough that it can be independent - their ad rates are pretty high.

As for Freddy, he's 15. I drank with my friends when I was 15, and you're damn right I tried to hit on college girls too (not like I had any success back then). Of course it was stupid of Freddy to do - but this is ultimately a Mrs. Adu problem, not an MLS problem. If Freddy were working at a pizza parlor and he went out drinking on his day off, the pizza parlor wouldn't demote him. But his Mom sure would give him an ass-whupping.

 

Again this is not even a college sanctioned paper. This is a paper written by folks that may not even have the skills of the Weekly World News. I have been to many parties where I drank soda out of a red cup while people tried to get me drink. OK not many, very few in fact, ok two I can think of, but the point is, you can't believe everything you read. These kids writing this may have been more stoked (no pun intended) to see him at their "exclusive" party.

On the other hand, let's throw caution to the wind and say every bit of this is true and Freddy went to a college party and drank......ok how many people on these boards NEVER had a drink when they were 15? Who on these boards when of college age drank, and remembered EVERY detail of the evening, any evening? And I don't care about the whole Role Model thing. One party reported in a small unsanctioned college paper does nothing to harm this. Sierra Mist, Campbells soup, Top Brass for MLS they want him to be the "chosen one" he.... wants to get paid to play football.

Now if he starts showing up stoned drunk and falling all over the place and his photo is plastered all over the papers throughout the country then I would understand this being the same as the Bush sisters, and would probably get a smidgen worried about his future. This isn't something to worry about.

Amazing how fast we all grow old.

edit wasn't aware of the Diamondbacks "pull" but my point remains the same.

 

Actualy, the Diamondback is pretty well-respected.

 

15, buzzed, and hitting on college women.

Freddy is like Drew Barrymore, everything in his life is ahead of schedule.

 

Its an MLS problem if he would have been arrested on an underage drinking citation, though. If you think of how MLS and his fizzy drink sponsors market him, its pretty much the wholesome young kid image. Getting busted at a keg party doesn't quite fit into that. Much as I have no problem personally with what he did, it was dumb for him to put himself into such a public situation and be seen drinking. Unfortunately he isn't a normal 15 year old and he needs to learn to be a bit more discreet about these things.

 

I think the point is being missed... When you play professional sports, no matter how small the following is, you are held to a different standard by society. This isn't just one person saying this, hell there are entire college textbooks dedicated to professional athletes and their impact on society. Freddy has a responsibility, albeit one I wouldn't want when I was 15, to be the role model, and because he is a public figure and I'm sure his contract with MLS, and his sponsors have stipulations that would allow them to terminate his contract if something like oh THIS happen. MLS has a moral obligation to ensure that these issues are addressed just like baseball, football and basketball do. Players are routinely fined, and told to go to rehab for drug/alcohol problems, MLS should be no different. (I'm not saying Freddy needs to check-in to Betty Ford by any means.) Sanctioned by the university or not, it is a published article. They obviously have quite a circulation and now this story is being read by lord knows how many people.

As a person who went to one of Playboy's Top 10 Party Schools I can personally say that I have had many drunken and disorderly nights. I don't always remember details, but I know what someone looks like when they've been drinking. And no matter if this eye-witness was drunk or sober, they saw what they saw.

All that said, I was 18 when I had my first drink (outside of religious and cultural celebrations).

 

Exactly the point. And it's not only Ma Adu who will be getting in Freddy's ear, it will be the good folks at MLS HQ, Nike, and Sierra Mist (that's Pepsi co. right?).

He's paid to have a public image, and that public image is worth a lot more than his soccer skills at this point. Maybe that's wrong, but that's the market place here.

I don't think any reasonable person will condemn Freddy for doing the things many of us were doing at that age (well, except I never got into a college party at that age). But Freddy needs to be smarter about what he's paid for. Sure if he were working in a pizza parlor it wouldn't be an issue, but if he wants to work in a pizza parlor, he ain't gonna get $500K/year.

 

It was Fro.

 

While I don't really care about drinking at 15, I do care about how this will effect Freddy's game. Too many excellent soccer players have ruined their careers by getting too involved with alcohol and drugs and losing sight of the game. I just hope that he makes the right choices about when to indulge and when not to and that it doesn't effect his ability to perform magic on the pitch.

 

Send in the Clowns

 

For someone who claims his body is a temple this is pretty F'in stupid if it is true. All of those who are claiming they were 15 and drinking and it is ok - you weren't the holders of millions in endorsements and contracts. Freddie has a little more to lose if he twists an ankle scaling a wall getting away from the cops.

 

I couldn't agree more, and I think a lot of people have lost sight of the fact that his status as the franchise player puts him in a very percarious position. I look at it this way, if he didn't want this responsibility, he didn't have to sign the dotted line, and could have simply been Freddy "Average Teenager" Adu. But he didn't so now he has a moral and legal responsibility, to be.... ::GASP:: RESPONSIBLE!

 

When I was 16, I had a curfew of midnight on weekend nights. And my mom isn't really the strictest of mothers. How is it that he was allowed to stay out so late after he played a game that day? Even if he was with an older relative, I'd have thought Mrs. Adu would have said, "Freddy, home by eleven" or something.

I also have yet to see any quasi-major news outlets pick up on the story yet. Anything in the local media or broadcast news about this yet in the DC-Baltimore area?

 

Um, before we decide Freddy is doomed to a life of booze and broads and will end up in the gutter before his 17th birthday, shouldn't we be somewhat sure this story is true? Isn't there a tradition of spoofing at certain college campuses? I don't think there's been anything in the news media about this except for a story someone wrote for an "unofficial" college newspaper, which sounds like a freebie rag trying to make a name for itself right after the start of classes.

 

"FREDDY- JUST SAY NO"

That banner must somehow make its way to RFK for the next home game.

 

moral responsibility my a**, he's got a commercial responsibility.

 

I think we all just need to chill out before more facts come in. As far as anyone knows, this is the first time such an incident has happened with Freddy. if it happened at all. Secondly, we don't know anymore than what was printed in an independent student newspaper, well-respected or not. The only people that seem to having anything to do with reporting what might have happened that night is this one paper.

As far as we know, it hasn't affected Freddy's play on the field. Yes he's been sitting the bench and coming in as a sub lately, but not because of this. This happened on the 11th, after DCU already played a game. They've only played on game since then yet in both the 11th and the 18th games he came on as a sub, so it has nothing to do with this.

Right now we don't need to be yelling out, "He's a disgrace! He should know better! He flushing his life down the tubes!" I'm sure this story in the paper will spark other media outlets to do some investingating of their own and I'm sure we'll get some more statements from DCU.

Also, if he was at three different parties and everyone knew who he was, surely a picture or two was taken. Yeah, there was that one picture of him with the article of him with two girls, but he didn't look lazy-eyed or drunk at all, nor was it in any way incriminating. Who knows if it was even taken at the party. Until we see a pic of him holding a red cup stadning in what is obivously a party, let's just wait and see.

 

I normally don't post anymore.................but I can't pass this up..............Most of you guys are just too damn hard on the kid. This is the first time this has come out..................there wasn't any puke either, or at least we don't know of any..................perhaps we should get Goff on that.

"Excuse me, ma'am, ummm, could you please stop pouring alcohol over me and showing me your breasts? Ummm, I was wondering if you could tell me if you've ever seen Freddy Adu at a party, and if you have, has he puked?"

C'mon guys. He's 15. Let Freddy have some type of a life. If this becomes regular, then you can complain..............I suppose Freddy should play soccer all the time and have no life. Sorry to burst the bubble guys, but he's 15 and he isn't perfect.

When do you think he will start asking the media and everyone to call him "Fred?"