<p>The only halfway plausible defense I’ve heard of the Tallahassee PD is that they are this incompetent when it comes to everyone, so there isn’t any special treatment. But that isn’t exactly a Chamber of Commerce slogan. </p>
<p>^ This is probably close to the truth. The cops at accident probably didn’t make a big deal out of the accident and let things slide without issuing any tickets…I’m sure non FSU football players have gotten the same type treatment with similar type incidents. Some Tallahassee cops might have issued tickets, some not…a judgment call. Cops see tons of accidents with drivers with suspended licenses…no big deal in my book. It was a Saturday night and the cops might have other more pressing stuff to attend to that night and gave the FSU guys some slack that night…other nights they might not have been so easy on them. Stuff like this happens all the time.</p>
<p>Official FSU response to NY Times article:</p>
<p><a href=“Response to Nov. 14 New York Times article - Florida State University News”>http://news.fsu.edu/More-FSU-News/Response-to-Nov.-14-New-York-Times-article</a></p>
<p>Times article pointedly emphasized another incident with less damage, and one where the driver contacted police, but was charged with a serious crime–hit and run. Not a football player. </p>
<p>While my sister was a student at FSU a couple of years ago, she had a car accident just outside the Tallahassee city limits. She pulled out making a left turn in front of another car at an intersection and was clipped by other car. The two drivers pulled off to side of road, the girl operator of other car got out of her car examined damage, got back in her car and drove off without saying a word…my sister didn’t know what to do so she just drove off too. My sister just by chance recognized the other driver and knew her name. My sister phoned home and my parents told her to go back to where accident occured and to phone cops to report accident. She met cop, he took down info and my sister told deputy the girl’s name. When my sister picked up a copy of accident report a week later, she was informed the other driver had been driving with a suspended license. My sister really probably caused the accident but she wasn’t given any tickets and she wasn’t charged with hit-and-run. She didn’t bother reporting to insurance company for the banged up front-end and she never heard what happened to other girl. My sister was not on FSU football team and she was not charged with crime of hit-and-run after driving away from accident.</p>
<p>There’s a difference between a fender-bender and the case in point here, where both cars were totaled. The FSU player ran off on foot after the crash, because his car was undriveable. I would imagine cops are more likely to charge drivers with hit and run after a crash that causes injury or serious damage than after a fender bender.</p>
<p>I’d bet more pretty FSU coeds get away with traffic citations from FSU police than FSU football players!</p>