Perhaps if football was a proven reformer — or if McKinley had a history of allowing young offenders to fulfill marching band, Spanish club, yearbook and chess team duties before they paid their debt to society — then Kenton High principal Arch Rodgers’ telephone wouldn’t be ringing off the hook.

I caught Rodgers at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, or 90 minutes past his usual quitting time on a summer day. As I talked to him, other lines rang and rang (Rodgers was the only one there answering phones, which is why he hadn’t been able to step away). People called to ask what was going on with the case, state their support for the athletes and the school, or to lambaste the judge’s decision.

I asked Rodgers whether the school would let the sentenced players on the field. After all, the judge didn’t technically force them to play football — he just gave them the time. And most schools have policy codes of conduct for extracurricular activities. But Rodgers said neither his school, nor the Ohio State High School Athletic Association, has policy on what to do when student-athletes have been convicted or sentenced to crimes unrelated to school activities. Rodgers said the school’s board planned to release a statement Thursday morning about the matter.

But it sure didn’t sound like that statement was likely to say that they’re not playing. In fact, Rodgers, a former coach, is Bowden-like in his belief that troubled players are better on the field than off.

"While they’re there, I know where they are, and how they are," he said. "And maybe we can wear ‘em down a little."

Then Rodgers surmised that media attention paid to the case "is the intent of some people to vilify us." Who is us? "The school — they feel the school should do something."

As I talked to Rodgers, the Kenton Wildcats — coached by Ben Maur’s father, Mike, also the school’s athletic director — were on the practice field. In football terms, things are looking up for Kenton, which won the state’s Division IV, smaller-school title in 2001 and 2002, lost the Division III final in 2003, but suffered through a 5-5 season in 2004.

Last year, the Campbell-to-Manns combination helped build Kenton’s record back to 7-3, and a lot of talent is back.

But in his misplaced generosity, Judge McKinley has put a pall over the whole season with his lesson that if you’re an athlete who does the crime, then you can do the time — whenever it’s convenient for you.