Sometimes, trouble follows people. Unfortunately for Zeke Pike, he appears to carry that burden. By now you've all seen that the true freshman quarterback was arrested over the weekend on the charge of public intoxication. Some may say that "he is just being a college kid" or "public intoxication is no big deal." In fact, most of the time, we may agree on that. After all, public intox in itself is merely a violation and falls below a misdemeanor. In other words, not usually a serious charge.
So, why are we talking about it? Why is it news that a 19-year-old freshman college student was intoxicated in public? Well, because it's Zeke Pike, and the trouble that he has gotten into since before his senior year of high school has developed into a worrisome pattern.
Pike was a highly recruited quarterback out of Dixie Heights in Ft. Mitchell, Ky. At one time, he was one of the highest rated QB prospects in the nation. After a shoulder injury, a couple of average performances at Elite 11 camps, and some other well-chronicled off-field problems, which resulted in his high school season being cut short, Pike's ratings dropped a bit. The summer before his senior year of high school, Pike was ejected from a 7-on-7 tournament for throwing a ball at an official. Another sign of his immaturity became evident when he decided to engage in "Twitter wars" with rival fans. Pike was suspended, for the second time that season prior to his team's first round state playoff game and was later dismissed from his high school team for an undisclosed "violation of team rules". Despite all of that, Auburn coaches stuck by him and gave him a chance, and he enrolled at Auburn on Jan. 11, 2012.
Pike went through spring practice, taking reps behind Kiehl Frazier and Clint Moseley. There were some fans who even wondered if Pike could push Frazier and Moseley for playing time this fall. That's all been put on hold, at least for now. Today, we've learned that following the incident this past weekend, Pike has been sent home to Kentucky for the summer to "clear his head". No timetable has been placed on his return to Auburn. There are plenty of rumors swirling about what may or may not have led to the recent arrest. There are rumors floating that this incident was just another misstep in Pike's bumpy road since setting foot on the Plains. We're not here to confirm or deny any of these rumors. We won't even delve into what they entail. It's not fair to the kid for us to speculate.
However, with the information that is out there about the kid, and knowing a little about the circumstances surrounding his earlier issues, a question arises: Will Zeke Pike be back? If he does what is expected of him by the coaches and proves to them that he can represent Auburn in positive way moving forward, he will be welcomed back, and I'm sure Yox would greet him with open arms. If he can't meet those standards, then this may be the last we see of young Mr. Pike. What do you think?