ALLOW COURTS TO JUDGE JAMESON CURRY FIRST

JamesOn Curry had what looked to be a bright future ahead of him. The
high school basketball standout received a scholarship offer from
UNC-Chapel Hill during his sophomore year at Eastern Alamance High
School. He was all set to enroll at UNC-CH next fall.

Then he was indicted on multiple felony drug charges in connection
with an undercover investigation in Alamance-Burlington schools. He
has been kicked off the Eastern Alamance basketball team and suspended
from school. Now he faces a possible prison sentence and the loss of
his scholarship.

The evidence against Curry and several dozen other students who were
busted appears solid. Youthful-looking undercover police officers
bought marijuana and other drugs from the students in classrooms,
hallways and restrooms and off campus.

Yet Curry is presumed innocent until prosecutors prove otherwise. He
and the others deserve their day in court.

Eastern Alamance made a tough call in benching its star player, who by
his senior year was the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high
school history.

That said, administrators made the right call. Curry would have been a
likely target for cruel heckling on the court, and his presence would
have been a distraction for his teammates.

However, UNC-CH officials have yet to decide Curry's future as a Tar
Heel. This, too, is a good call. They have the luxury of time and
likely can wait for the case to play out in court.

Sadly, Curry's case is not all that unusual. Over the years, any
number of celebrated young athletes have ruined promising careers by
getting into trouble with the law. Earlier this month, Willie
Williams, one of the top football recruits in the country, signed with
the University of Miami, but only days later a troubling record of
thefts, assaults and other crimes came to light. His admissions
application is now on hold.

At UNC-CH, which has no hard and fast policy for such cases, reviews
are conducted individually. Administrators declined to comment on the
status of Curry's review. They say, however, that the university sets
strict community standards and that they must determine if a student
who gets in trouble with the law would present a danger to others on
campus. "Is this someone we still want to have in our community?"
asks Jerry Lucido, UNC-CH admissions director.

Depending on the outcome of that review, the athletics department may
have to make a separate determination on the scholarship.

Williams, Curry and other star athletes should be treated as any other
student would be treated under similar circumstances. They do not
deserve special consideration, nor do they deserve undue scrutiny.