Dwayne Beckford Arrested: Purdue Aims For Top 10 Fulmer Cup Finish

Riley was right in that I was sleeping (or at least trying to) last night when the word of Dwayne Beckford's latest arrest broke. I say latest arrest because this is No. 3 for him. He has a prior conviction from August 2011 for possession of paraphernalia, as noted in this arrest report:

Beckford has already been charged in Tippecanoe Superior Court 4 with possession of paraphernalia and possession of a synthetic drug. The possession of paraphernalia charge is a Class D felony because Beckford has at least one other prior conviction for it, from August 2011 in Tippecanoe County.

So if the August 2011 arrest is No. 1 for him and this is No. 3, we cannot forget No. 2. He had a DWI in December that cost him the bowl game. The report also stated that he had a "failure to stop after an accident" charge from April 2011, making this his fourth arrest. That makes him worthy of this:

If Dwayne has not played his last football game at Purdue I will be shocked. He is currently facing FELONY charges for crying out loud from his fourth arrest in an 18 month period. All the guy had to do was stay out of trouble, knowing he had already been given multiple second chances, and he would get at least a shot at making the NFL. Once there, he would be making more money than most new college graduates at minimum. Honestly, I don't see how anyone could be this righteously stupid.

What's more troubling is that this is the fifth arrest that qualifies Purdue for points in the infamous Fulmer Cup. With nine points already, the Boilers could be in line for a top 10 finish thanks to the automatic three point felony charge plus inevitable bonus points. A quick rundown of Purdue's offenses:

• First we had Ralph Bolden getting arrested for making advances to a girl at Where Else. He failed to learn the lesson put forth by Kelsey Barlow in that NOTHING good can happen at Where Else. This is a relatively minor offense.
• Next we had Antavian Edison getting busted for driving with a concealed firearm. It should be noted, however, that it was not his gun and it was a relative's car he was driving. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Next you have Patrick Bade managing to piss off Purdue fans in TWO sports over the course of his career by going face-first into Harry's. This is just being a drunken idiot. I don't care about Where Else, but mess with Harry's and you mess with all of us.
• Finally, you have Sean Collins getting himself kicked off the team for shenanigans that included punching a girl. If you need to ask which bar this happened in you don't read the blog much, do you?

I can forgive the transgressions of Bolden and Edison. Bolden's case is a little troubling, but at least he was stopped before it advanced into far worse territory. Edison was bad luck in being with the wrong relative. Bade also didn't understand that no means no, but the bouncer at Harry's is usually a lot bigger and can fight back easier than an unwilling girl. Collins was immediately dismissed, as he should have been.

Beckford is likely gone now. I hope it was worth it for him because he possibly cost himself several thousand dollars in NFL revenue. He was a locked in starter and linebacker that would have at least gotten a look from an NFL team if not a possible draft selection. That is gone, and it is likely safe to put him as the ninth player from Tiller's final recruiting class that will leave Purdue with eligibility on the table.

I'd say it was a severe blow, but honestly Gerald Gooden outplayed Beckford in the bowl game last year in his first and only career game at middle linebacker. We can find someone else. According to the depth chart Antwon Higgs, a bigger linebacker, will likely move into the No. 1 slot, with Joe Gilliam also getting a look. Sean Robinson could also see some action. Beckford's dumbassery now makes us very short at a position that was once a strength. He is the second player that was originally projected on the two deeps to be out, joining Mike Lee (concussions ended his career).

We'll move forward. We always do. This is troubling, however. Five arrests in one offseason is five too many, especially when it is not that hard to stay out of trouble even if you're not already twice as busy as a regular student.