When word broke that Kevin Drew was back with the Syracuse Orange lacrosse team, let alone still an active student at the University, the fanbase did a collective look-away and just put their heads in the sand.
As a reminder, here's what Drew was charged with following a DWI arrest that ended with a cop kicking him in the chest: Driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest, driving through a stop sign, speeding, hit and run, failure to comply and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Even Marcus Sales was like, "Daaaaaamn."
That he's back with the program so quickly (three months later) made a lot of people wonder if he received special treatment because he's a lacrosse player. A recent Daily Orange article by Beckie Strum basically proves that the answer is...yes.
The article compares the DWI cases of Drew and Ryan Forman, whom you know better as the guy who drove his Range Rover into the Mount Olympus stairs a few month back.
Despite the fact that Forman was charged with far less infractions, had the same BAC as Drew and wasn't driving a car owned by a university employee, Forman is currently suspended from SU for the spring semester. Drew, who withdrew from SU following the October incident, was able to re-apply for spring.
The SU's Judicial Handbook guidelines says that driving while intoxicated should result in "indefinite suspension for a minimum of one academic term," amongst other things. SU officials quoted in the article say that there is no exact rule for determining punishment for these situations.
Let us not demonize Drew here, as he recently finished a 28-day alcohol treatment program and is not yet allowed to play with the team. He's done everything one could expect from a guy after such an incident. An according to Coach Desko, "he has been punished and will continue to fulfill his consequences."
However at the end of the day, perception is reality. SU officials can deny that preferential treatment is in play all they want, but it sure doesn't look that way.