One Brick Short

University of Virginia quarterback Peter Lalich has a few legal woes, but they’re really nothing worth tossing him off the team. In fact, he ought to be congratulated: He’s in trouble because he was honest.

You may have read about it in Friday’s edition. Seems Mr. Lalich, who was charged with underage possession of alcohol back in July, is facing a new charge of failure to obey probationary restrictions.

The charges don’t come from a failed drug test. On the contrary, he passed the drug test with no issues.

The charges came because he answered honestly a question that was asked by his probationary supervisor: Had he used drugs or alcohol in the past 30 days.

Obviously no one told him that anything he said could and would be used against him in a court of law. Obviously, the interviewer had no choice but turn the confession over to the court for possible action. Obviously, had Mr. Lalich been any number of people I know, he would have lied and said “nope, I’m as clean as John McCain’s savings and loan interests, as honest as Barrack Obama’s mortgage lender.“

Mr. Lalich has not smacked his girlfriend in the face like a UVa standout did in 2004. He has not raided a frat house and failed numerous drug tests or broke into cars and sold stolen goods on e-bay or ripped off credit cards. He did, however, use alcohol while underage (for which three-quarters of the college would need to be busted) and marijuana.

Let Mr. Lalich play. Let him stay honest and true to his word. And, most of all, let him stay away from the spirits until he’s 21.

He’s only got a year to go.