By LARRY VAUGHT
larry@amnews.com

This summer was supposed to be a rare time for Jeremy Jarmon to get his mind briefly off football and the pressure he was sure to feel in trying to help Kentucky reach a fourth straight bowl game and also enhance his NFL draft status.

The senior defensive end already had established himself as one of the top players in the Southeastern Conference with his play the past two seasons. He had also already shown he was a well-rounded student-athlete with his accomplishments off the playing field.

That’s why the Kentucky coach staff had no problem approving Jarmon’s month-long trip to Paris this summer. His UK roommate is from Germany, and he also had friends in other neighboring countries he planned to visit when he wasn’t studying courses such as French culture, psychology and maybe even photography because he’s always been quick to use his digital camera.

Jarmon, who had been to Europe before, was even planning to blog about his trip for the Kentucky athletics Web site and post pictures as well. That’s how special Jarmon is, and has been since his arrival at Kentucky from Memphis four years ago.

That’s why it still seems so ironic, and tragic, that his collegiate career has ended because he accidentally took a banned substance for two weeks in his off-season attempt to shed weight. He didn’t smoke marijuana. He didn’t use cocaine. He didn’t drive drunk. He didn’t rob anyone. He didn’t fail classes.

Instead, he spent his own money to buy a diet supplement that contain a banned substance and then was randomly picked for a NCAA drug test just days after he found out he should not be taking the supplement. It made no difference that his second test a few weeks later came back negative. The damage was done and Saturday we all learned that Jarmon’s UK career is over.

Even athletics director Mitch Barnhart was visibly shaken as he had to announce Jarmon’s suspension and then watch the defensive lineman cry as he read a prepared statement explaining what he had inadvertently done.

“He has been a tremendous leader. His smile has graced our program and practice fields and locker rooms. We’re appreciative of what he’s contributed to this program. He doesn’t have to do this today. He’s not required to be here, but it’s something he wanted to do,” Barnhart said Saturday.

Learning from mistakes

Hopefully other athletes listened to Jarmon or will pay attention to what he said.

“I am a young person that has made mistakes in my life but I have learned from them. I am going to make more mistakes in my life and I will learn from those too. I am certain that UK will ask me to come in and speak on different occasions about the problems with taking supplements,” Jarmon said Saturday. “Hopefully, this will catch the attention of not only collegiate athletes, high school athletes, professional athletes, but just ordinary hard working people as well.

“This is not a situation that I want to forget about or run away from. I want to learn from this mistake and I want others to learn from my mistake as well. I have not spoken to the team, but I plan to do so when everyone is required to report back in June.”

How amazing was that? No excuses. No whining. No asking for sympathy. Instead, he wants to use his experience to help others.

Knowing Jarmon, that’s no surprise. That’s the kind of young man he is. But it is also what makes this so hard to understand and not feel bitter toward the NCAA for having no leniency even though Jarmon asked for none Saturday.

“This isn’t the last thing you’ll hear of Jeremy Jarmon, he will do great things because of who he is and what he represents. He’s a bright young man, who just happens to be gifted athletically. He’ll do well, whether that’s in business or on the field,” Barnhart said. “This is a small setback for him, but one he will clearly overcome.

“Here’s a guy willing to set the record straight and send the message to other young people how to manage, what not to do, what not to get caught up in. I admire him for that.”

So do I.