Zeke Pike

[aubfaninga 16]

If this was just another case of a college kids drinking I would say slap him on the wrist and run the alcohol out of him.

The problem is that this is Zeke Pike. People around the Auburn family are talking about this kid being a rebel and now this. Zeke came to a major SEC school to play QB for a NC team and sharpen his tools for a NFL career. If he is still too immature to see what he is doing to himself then how long do you think it will take for him to take into consideration his team. Trust me, I am not over critical of football players drinking. If this had been Reese Dismukes I would have probably laughed about the whole thing. (I have not heard of any off the field issues as of now with him) Again Zeke already has people calling him a selfish rebel. Maybe he is misunderstood. I did not put much stock into the small rumblings but after the public intox my ears are perked up. I trust that Chiz has this all under control. Chiz will be the first to tell you that his QB should be an "Auburn Man". If Zeke don't fit the model he will be asked to find another family.

Now if anyone ever had an excuse to drink his problems away it was this guy,

Cam Newton, Auburn Man

Cam Newton faced one of the most vile and pointed attacks that I have ever personally witnessed in my few decades following sports. No other athlete was crucified in such a public way that Newton was. Even people outside of the sports world knew his name, or better yet Cecil's.

With all of the bad press and air that surrounded Newton and the program, it was only logical to think the Tigers would fall a part. Instead, they grew stronger. So did Newton.

With each attack it appeared that the Tigers fans and team circled the wagons a little more and fought a little harder for each other. Auburn fans were fighting for their guy, their leader, while he was fighting for them on the field.

Through the heartache of character destruction came a passionate bond. Instead of wedging a problem into the team, the hate simply drew the team and Auburn family closer together. Auburn and Newton fought together and ended the fight victoriously.

Newton saw first hand what success breeds at Auburn. Hatred from the surrounding area, but a love deeper than anywhere else found in sports. What makes Auburn's bond with Auburn players so unique is that it's not a fascination or obsession, but a true kinship. A feeling that is shared.

It is no secret that former players return often, some even live in the area. Auburn has a special feeling to the town and to the people. Newton knows that feeling, the Auburn spirit.

Newton never has to step foot in Auburn again. He may pass it on the interstate headed home to College Park, Georgia but their is no obligation. Don't be surprised when he does stop though, when he checks in on the kids that he tutored while in school at Auburn.

For all things that Cam Newton has been accused of, he has been nothing but a class act for Auburn. He has taken that attitude and grace to the pro ranks leading a Carolina team to believe again.

Newton is a tough and gritty leader who will forever be an "Auburn Man" by choice and action.

( Thanks to Ian Berg )

[Charleyrogers24 0]

Well, in fairness, he's 18 and is just getting away from home. He's a great talent, just has to get his head screwed on straight...let's hope he does it.

I'm 18, just moved to Auburn in an apartment on my own, will start school this fall, and I'm working 40 hours a week during the summer, and won't touch alcohol. 18 never should be an excuse.

    Couldn't have said it better.......it is how you act as an adult that gets you treated as an adult.....not what your 'friends' want you to be!!!!  If someone is at a party, doesn't mean you have to be 'stupid' too!!!  It is what you were raised as that gets you through the tough times!!!!

[WarEagleAU 0]

jeez...  :banghead: I hope Zeke didnt think it was funny.

[WarEagle10 77]

The biggest problem is that he shows a trend of getting in these jams.  I was worried about him from day one.

I am with you. I am not going to crucify him for this. Lord knows I sure have no room to get on a kid for under-age drinking. However, going back to the start of his senior year, it seems he has a problem with making the right decisions. I hate to see a kid with that much talent waste it. I hope the dog house does him some good.

[chizhead 618]

unfortunately, a pattern does exist

[BPI 0]

He better get his head out of his rear end real quick. I don't see the coaches putting up with a lot of this garbage.

[fjenkins 0]

It was public intox, not a DUI.  I don't see the big deal.  College students drink, a large percentage of them are underage...it happens.

[WarEagle10 77]

It was public intox, not a DUI.  I don't see the big deal.  College students drink, a large percentage of them are underage...it happens.

The thing is, this isn't a one time thing. He was suspended for his first and last games as a senior for things he did wrong. If this was his first trouble, then I don't think people would be so concerned. This is a QB we are talking about. You need your QB to be able to make correct decisions.

[graffevj 0]

He was recruited to Auburn to eventually compete for the starting position of quarterback of Auburn University, not exactly something to be taken lightly.  Yes many of us can comment including myself about "how this is a dumb mistake made by a somewhat typical college kid, his freshman year.  I can speak from experience considering the hell raised by myself over a period of time during high school and college, but I also had the discipline to dial it in and make sacrifices to accomplish serious goals that were important.  I also was never in contention for being a QB at Auburn so I find it pretty disappointing that Zeke doesn't have the focus and maturity that you look for in a "quarterback" not a typical college kid and that he appears to lack good judgement.  Other positions on the team, you can sometimes pass off as speed bumps but the quarterback in my experience has always been the guy you looked up to and usually had it together more than the rest.  The players on the team can't exactly be worried nor have the time to be monitoring Zeke but maybe an intervention now while he is a freshman might be an appropriate measure.  This is not a pile on whatsoever and if it was anyone other than a QB, I probably would not have commented.  I hope he has an epiphany and gets it together.  War Eagle  

[CMPluvAU04 0]

This is a mistake we all made as kids whether we get arrested or not,most of us have all been drunk in public in our college days. Just cause we didnt get arrested doesnt mean we did not commit the crime if u wanna call it that. With that being said this isnt the kind of publicity you want from your quaterback(ask the ol ball coach),but im sure the coaching staff will handle this the best way possble. But better yet,im sure his parents will handle this in a even better way. 

[fjenkins 0]

This is a mistake we all made as kids whether we get arrested or not,most of us have all been drunk in public in our college days. Just cause we didnt get arrested doesnt mean we did not commit the crime if u wanna call it that. With that being said this isnt the kind of publicity you want from your quaterback(ask the ol ball coach),but im sure the coaching staff will handle this the best way possble. But better yet,im sure his parents will handle this in a even better way. 

I consider myself very luck that I didn't injury/kill myself or someone else with my rampent stupidity in college.

[Iron_chin_chiz 0]

Public Intox charges are definitely bs charges given "at the cops discretion" and are typically given when you have pissed off the cop enough for he/she to want to arrest you. These are not rare to see in Auburn on a Friday or Saturday night, especially in the down town area. I don't really see a big deal with this in a moral aspect, the bigger deal is the way Zeke seems to be wasting away a lot of God given talent by not being properly focused. He has gotten to this point in life by being blessed with natural size and abilities by the man upstairs. What he does from this point on is up to him. You can bet CGC, CSL, Lutz, and Blake are going to make this kid feel like crap for at least the rest of the summer. If this isn't enough for him to realize the awesome opportunity he has been blessed with, nothing will and he will eventually be on his way with no one to blame but himself. I hope he can turn it around and refocus permanently.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Well, Im not going to read 5 pages about Zeke Pike's indiscretions. The kid seems to have found the spotlight, albeit an unflattering one, on more than one occasion. It could be he's just going through a phase and he will learn from his experiences. Based on the way Chiz has handled these kind of issues in the past, Im not sure how short a leash he'll be on going forward but my guess is he'll probably regret having gone down that road. College kids will, at times, most assuredly abuse alcohol so, Im certainly not going to harshly judge the kid for this mistake. My hunch is, Chiz and Yox probably have something for Mr Pike so I'll simply let them handle it.

[BornAU76 405]

He'll get his head straight after this, hopefully.  Quite a few of my friends got public intox at AU, it happens...much better than a DUI or something drug related.  He gets one 'uh-oh' just like everyone should.

He's young and I hope he gets that party stuff out of his system soon.  He's there to earn a degree and play football for a major university, much more pressure than me just going to get a degree...much more to lose on his behalf, too.  I'm sure Chiz and the upperclassmen will get him straightened out.   

[bikeriderga 135]

I am willing to wager that the coaches and the senior players are going to come down on him like a ton of bricks.. Hopefully that will be enough for him to have time to mature and put youthful indiscretions behind him.

We have all done stupid things in our youth. The main thing is to learn from our mistakes and to be aligned with a group of peers that assist you in learning from those mistakes. If he does, he will be OK. If not, then he will never live up to his potential. He has to understand that when you are a college football player, playing with a big time program, your life is going to be somewhat open for all to see, good and bad.

[weagle weagle wde 0]

Well, in fairness, he's 18 and is just getting away from home. He's a great talent, just has to get his head screwed on straight...let's hope he does it.

I'm 18, just moved to Auburn in an apartment on my own, will start school this fall, and I'm working 40 hours a week during the summer, and won't touch alcohol. 18 never should be an excuse.

And you've never done anything wrong I suppose.  YOU MUST BE A SAINT

Listen people, a few things:

This really wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that over the past few years, several team members have had brushes with the law. Seriously, its a PI. They hand those out like candy in Auburn. I would be willing to bet good money that (if it could be proven) the percentage of non-athlete students that get arrested for PI is much higher the percentage of student athletes arrested for PI.

Also, while I was at Auburn, I was arrested for public intoxication at 18 or 19 in Skybar. I never had a fake ID, but on Wednesday, Skybar lets in everyone with a student ID and I had a few drinks before and some people bought me some while i was there. I learned from my mistakes, learned who my real friends were, and it never happened again. I got my degree and am now furthering my education with said degree.

Let's not all jump to conclusions like a bunch of media loving turds and make this kid walk the plank and compare him to Stephen Garcia! REALLY?

[DANSBY 0]

A 19 yr old college student drinking socially...out past midnight?  What is this world coming to? 

[auburnpride99 6]

I think part of ZP problem is he's a freaking giant.  It's he 6'6?  A person 6'6 commands a lot of attention in a crowd.  A drunk 19 kid that's 6'6 sticks out big time.  He was probably talking trash or got caught pissing on something.  He's about to lose all that baby fat he's been carrying around.  This is about to be the longest summer of his life.  Hopefully he can develop his character and learn something about being a real leader.  

[auburnpride99 6]

This is a mistake we all made as kids whether we get arrested or not,most of us have all been drunk in public in our college days. Just cause we didnt get arrested doesnt mean we did not commit the crime if u wanna call it that. With that being said this isnt the kind of publicity you want from your quaterback(ask the ol ball coach),but im sure the coaching staff will handle this the best way possble. But better yet,im sure his parents will handle this in a even better way. 

I consider myself very luck that I didn't injury/kill myself or someone else with my rampent stupidity in college.

Agreed,  I can't believe the stupid things I did when I was in Auburn.  Drinking and driving was virtually a nightly situation.

[TheBlueVue 177]

This is a mistake we all made as kids whether we get arrested or not,most of us have all been drunk in public in our college days. Just cause we didnt get arrested doesnt mean we did not commit the crime if u wanna call it that. With that being said this isnt the kind of publicity you want from your quaterback(ask the ol ball coach),but im sure the coaching staff will handle this the best way possble. But better yet,im sure his parents will handle this in a even better way. 

I consider myself very luck that I didn't injury/kill myself or someone else with my rampent stupidity in college.

Agreed,  I can't believe the stupid things I did when I was in Auburn.  Drinking and driving was virtually a nightly situation.

[AuburnArch13 185]

This is a mistake we all made as kids whether we get arrested or not,most of us have all been drunk in public in our college days. Just cause we didnt get arrested doesnt mean we did not commit the crime if u wanna call it that. With that being said this isnt the kind of publicity you want from your quaterback(ask the ol ball coach),but im sure the coaching staff will handle this the best way possble. But better yet,im sure his parents will handle this in a even better way.

At the end of the day this is kind of the point. Public intox happens all the time on college campuses and Auburn in definitely not the exception. Hell, I did the drunken stumble back home not two days ago. But I also passed two officers on my way back, smiled, waved, and there was no issue. That is the point. While the act of public intox may be common place, arrests for it are not. If you get arrested for DIP, then it's not because you were drunk in public, it because you were a drunken fool in public. That is the real issue here.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

We still don't need this. Come on Zeke, get your head on right son.

[FoleyLion 0]

Me, Im 21 and never had a sip. Dont plan on it either, never really felt like I needed to, Im crazy enough as it is 

You're missing out my man.

Not really I go out to the bars with my friends all the time and I have a better time then any of them do lol. My family has a strong history of drinking so I much rather not start to fix that problem for me before it even gets started. I'm 75% german, 12.5% chek, and 12.5% irish....I was born with beer for blood no need to add more haha.

[Guyute_Pig 0]

A 19 yr old college student drinking socially...out past midnight?  What is this world coming to? 

Exactly.  Much ado about nothing, for a kid who will red shirt. 

[mojojimbo 0]

I remember when John Parker Wilson got his dui and it was a haha moment.  I'm way more mature now and hope that Zeke doesn't have a drinking problem.  Good luck kid.  I hope this was a learning moment.