I am suffering from a Cyclone football hangover. The last week was a whirlwind. The damage is done. I am dizzy, want redemption and dying for a glass of ice water.

We don’t know all the details for the players. It just hurts that we have this cloud hanging over our heads. Coleman, Beck, Williams and Berryman – why? Why even put yourselves in this position?

In Ames, you are at a celebrity status. You stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone knows your face. Everyone knows you are the guys we buy season tickets for. This is an amazing opportunity. But what comes with this is a huge amount of responsibility. Yes, a higher level than the average student, because you aren’t the average student.

Every time you step on the field you represent the institution. And when you take off your jersey, that doesn’t change. In many ways, it increases. A lot of people can play football. There are thousands across the country with full-ride scholarships. What separates a player from a star is character.

How many times do you hear about Matt Leinert or Reggie Bush getting in a scuffle at a bar or being charged with an OWI? How many times do you see them having to publicly apologize? Zero. And how many times do you hear Mel Kiper on ESPN talking about their maturity and NFL draft status? Far too often.

The biggest victim in this is Dan McCarney. Berryman: McCarney stuck his neck out on the public guillotine for you. He supported you as a person to everyone who asked. How do you repay him? By going to a bar underage. Not many people in this world have the talent you do. Not many people in this world get three chances. Not many people have their NFL ticket written. You did. I hope Club Element was fun.

If I sound frustrated, I am. See guys, I’m one of your biggest fans. I pull for you through thick and thin. That’s why when I open the papers to see our incoming recruit class, and the headlines are stolen by disciplinary problems, it’s beyond disappointing.

But to the players that have stayed out of trouble: I commend you. For every one in trouble I know there are dozens of you living by the rules. I feel bad that you lost a defensive leader in Berryman. I feel bad that your backup running back has to face the consequences. It’s unacceptable that the only defensive match up Williams is facing is in the courtroom. And it’s a shame that a young quarterback is scrambling to take care of an OWI instead of developing into Bret Meyer status.

With all of the hits taken already in the off-season, it is going to take an enormous amount of leadership to get through the tribulations. There are going to be gaps to fill, things to prove and critiques to silence. There are games against Texas Tech, Oklahoma and defending national champ, Texas. The winning recipe for upsets in those games do not include getting citations and arrested.

The leaders on the team need to keep the team’s spirits up, ensure that everyone stays motivated and do everything they can so that the domino effect lies in hard work, not in jail.

– Ward Phillips is a sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication from Des Moines.