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On October 1st, 2016, Troy Davis was honored at a the football game against Baylor for his accomplishments at Iowa State, including back-to-back 2,000 yard rushing seasons and back-to-back finishes as a Heisman finalist.
After the game, Davis, like anyone else after a football game, went over to Welch Ave to have a drink at the bars. Fast forward to 2:30 am on Sunday morning, and Davis is drunk and trying to head home. While walking with his friends on Chamberlain, Davis’ friends flagged down a police officer, claiming that he was attempting to drive home. Though nobody is required to take a field sobriety test for public intoxication, the law allows the police to use discretion based on the circumstances. Davis was then arrested and taken to Story County Jail.
While nobody can argue that driving drunk is a horrible thing to do, it stands within reason to believe that his friends could have handled the situation themselves, rather than flagging down a police officer and shaming a legend in the community. Obviously, the largest part of the blame is on Troy for drinking beyond his limits, but shame on his friends for not helping the guy out when he clearly needed it.