So, in a week where Doug Marrone is already doing damage control following the traffic stop from hell for Marcus Sales and the stabbing of Prince-Tyson Gulley, the backup-backup-backup quarterback gets arrested for… burglary? I mean, you gotta be kidding me.

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When I spoke with The Dougie on Tuesday in Newport (the day before the alleged Jonny Miller robbery took place), it was obvious he was pleading to the SU faithful not to connect the program with these recent black eyes.

“I just want to make sure people understand, we‚Äôve done a lot of great things in our program. Things like this unfortunately occur, but it‚Äôs not a reflection of the whole program.”

Nice timing. Marrone is going to have to explain Miller’s robbery situation at Syracuse Media Day this afternoon. The sophomore QB was nabbed for assaulting some dude who was walking back from the bars at 3:30a back in Colorado. (Insert disclaimer) IF THIS IS TRUE… well done, Jonny. Your line for the Syracuse Orange? 0-for-0, 0 TDs, 0 INT, 0 game played, one arrest for robbery. Yeah, this will help you land that coveted starting job.

Miller was arrested with his homeboy Bryce Givens, a tackle at Colorado.¬†CU has already dismissed Givens, but the circumstances are a little different in Boulder. It’s been a program in turmoil for years, dating back to the Katy Hnida debacle and continuing under Dan Hawkins. There’s been a serious crisis in confidence among Buffs fans, so a situation like this will be met with zero tolerance. Also, Givens was already suspended in January for vandalism. That’s two sets of hand cuffs in one offseason for Givens, so he’s done.

SU football has dealt with its fair share of awful press this offseason. On top of the Sales/Gulley situations, Ashton Broyld’s ugly case of exposure was dragged through the courts this spring. It’s a bizarre paradox: A coach with an all-business approach, with a desperate effort to clean up the nonsense around SU football is having one of the ugliest offseasons in recent memory with a bunch of awful decisions by his supposed leaders (Broyld/Miller are quarterbacks, Sales is a senior).

Come on Jonny. You were the captain of your high school team, you’re enrolled in the College of Human Ecology and were on the AD’s honor roll both semesters last year. And you’re gonna get involved in this? On a week that SU football’s resurgence should be celebrated, instead we have to frustratingly sift through yet another off-field drama.

Posted: D.A.