“You’re The Ultimate Loser” – Florida Sheriff Calls Out Youth Football Coach Who Asked Deputies Not To Arrest Players Caught Shoplifting Before Championship Game

Coach should have warned them that stuff doesn’t fly in Florida…

A lot of cities around the country have decided that they’re not going to arrest or prosecute people for “minor” crimes like shoplifting. It’s why you have to push a button and wait for an attendant to get deodorant at CVS in a lot of places, and why you see these surveillance videos of employees standing around and watching as groups walk in to steal as much as they can.

Meanwhile in Florida, they’ve taken a different approach: Actually arresting people who commit crimes.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who’s known for his press conferences announcing arrests and his tough, no-nonsense approach, held a press conference today reminding people that they do, in fact, still arrest people for shoplifting in Florida while calling out the coach of a youth football program from Philadelphia whose team apparently didn’t get the memo.

According to Judd, the United Thoroughbreds from Philly were in Polk County to face off against the Coco Tigers in the Prolifix Sports National Championship. But hours before the game, eight members of the Thoroughbreds allegedly Ubered to a local Dick’s Sporting Goods, where they are accused of stealing over 47 items worth over $2,000 from the store.

Deputies arrived on the scene and met the teenagers, who were all either 14 or 15 years old, and located the stolen merchandise while taking them into custody.

None of the 8 who were arrested played in the championship game, and the Thoroughbreds ended up losing the game 26-6.

According to Judd:

“They may have cost their team the championship, and the football game, because I don’t know if these all were starters or not, but I can tell you that we were finishers. We arrested them.”

But Judd saved his harshest criticism for their coach, who apparently tried to talk deputies out of arresting his players:

“When we notified the coach, who is responsible for them, you would think he would be interested in holding them accountable and responsible. Instead he goes to the deputies and begs them not to take these young men into custody…

And then when it was evident that they were going to be arrested, then the coach says, ‘Don’t you guys have anything better to do? What are all these deputies doing here? Don’t you have anything better to do than arrest these kids?’

Listen, I don’t know how you do things in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but in Polk County, Florida, we lock you up for stealing, for being a thief…

And for the coach, you’re way off base here buddy. Way off base. You’re the ultimate loser. If you’d been coaching these kids up right, if you knew where they were, if you didn’t allow them to Uber away, they would have played in a ball game Saturday night.”

All eight of the players are now facing two felony charges for retail theft over $750 and conspiracy to commit retail theft.

After the incident, the football team released a statement acknowledging that “a mistake was made,” but blasting what they say are “death threats” and hostility now being directed at the team.

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Honestly, while the kids need to be held accountable, some of the blame should also be put on cities that send the message that shoplifting is fine because you’re not going to get arrested for it. There’s no doubt these kids thought they could get away with it because they wouldn’t have been arrested in Philly, without realizing that Florida doesn’t play around like other cities and states do.

Seems like something their coach and parents should have taught them before they left. Along with, you know, not stealing in the first place.

The post “You’re The Ultimate Loser” – Florida Sheriff Calls Out Youth Football Coach Who Asked Deputies Not To Arrest Players Caught Shoplifting Before Championship Game first appeared on Whiskey Riff.