Quinton Jackson Needs to Get His Act Together

Any serious MMA fan knows that Quinton Jackson has had some serious problems over the last month or so. Between dropping his light heavyweight title to Forrest Griffin and then going on a hit and run spree that saw abundant damage to private and public property, Jackson is not in the best spot professionally or personally.

With all that being said, "Rampage" has seemingly decided that his behavior was not only acceptable, but also that he was not at fault for it. As of 8/26/08, Jackson was formally charged for 4 felonies and 2 misdemeanors. Since then he has plead not guilty on all counts, citing starvation, sleep deprivation, and energy drinks as the cause of his reckless behavior.

That is outright ridiculous. Even if he did commit all the charges due to those reasons, they were all things he had control over. If you're hungry, you eat. If you're tired, you sleep. DON'T DRINK ENERGY DRINKS!! I was dogged in my support for Jackson after the incident initially happened. After seeing his behavior and the behavior of Dana White, which Jackson clearly condones, not so much anymore. Jackson has gone as far as going on the record saying that he was abused by the arresting officers who apprehended him and lost feeling in his wrists for 3 weeks due to the police officers putting his cuffs on too tight. While I do not condone poor behavior on the part of law enforcement, Jackson appears to be peddling a sob story so as to appear faultless for his actions.

Instead of behaving like a 10 year old getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Jackson needs to make a public apology for his actions and own up to the fact that he made a mistake. The public is very forgiving should one seek forgiveness. Look at Martha Stewart. The woman is a criminal who spent time in jail and now is more popular than ever. I am not saying that Quinton Jackson should be jailed, but some kind of apologetic attitude would go far in repairing his reputation. At this point, he comes off as an athlete who is trying to get his way, and just may because he is famous. In this blogger's opinion, Rampage should be putting shiners on his opponents, not on the sport of MMA.

-R