Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson is the Johnny Manziel of SEC basketball—but unlike Manziel's harmless offseason headlines, Henderson's were more of the troubling variety.
Officials suspended Henderson from the program this offseason for his behavior in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, along with getting stopped by Oxford police in July. Despite being caught with small amounts of marijuana and cocaine, police only cited the Ole Miss star for lack of proof of insurance. The authorities decided that there wasn't enough marijuana or cocaine to prosecute Henderson.
Ole Miss announced last week that Henderson is back on the team, but will be suspended for three regular games this season.
Henderson missed an exhibition game against South Carolina-Akien this past Saturday night. He will miss the regular season opener against Troy (Nov. 8), as well as the first two SEC games of the season against Auburn (Jan. 9) and Mississippi State (Jan. 11). Troy isn't a basketball power, and Auburn and Mississippi State were the two worst basketball programs in the SEC last season.
I honestly hope that Ole Miss is doing its best to keep Henderson on the straight and narrow, rather than simply giving him a slap on the wrist because he is a star player.
As he is a senior, this is Henderson's last year at Ole Miss, but he has the rest of his life to live. If the Rebels are truly getting him help, I commend them.
But Ole Miss shouldn't just use Henderson to win basketball games, make the NCAA Tournament, and then dump him after they have used him for his athletic ability. Hopefully, Ole Miss is trying prepare Henderson for the real world and to handle his demons.
If not, be prepared to see Henderson's name in the crime blotter at some point after the season ends.
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