Texas cop who harassed a college football player ‘may’ face charges, but the ‘blue wall’ is protecting him

A Texas state trooper who was caught on video aggressively bumping into two South Carolina football players is now facing a criminal complaint for assault, and the Brazos County District Attorney is currently weighing whether they should move forward with official charges against the officer. This is a huge development, especially since the disturbing video of the confrontation went viral last month.

One of the players involved, Oscar Adaway III, filed the criminal complaint, according to his attorney, B. Keith Jackson, according to Washington Post. This situation is awful for the player involved. It’s clear that he and his family have been through a lot of distress since the incident that occurred in November during the game at Texas A&M.

For those who missed the viral clip, the trooper was seen going completely out of his way to aggressively shoulder-check two Gamecocks players near the stadium tunnel. It wasn’t a minor accident; the trooper clearly initiated contact with the players as they were moving toward the locker room after a South Carolina touchdown. We have it below, but it is a clear power trip.

This guy should work for ICE; he’s certainly got the attitude down

Initially, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) seemed to take the matter seriously. The DPS quickly announced that they were aware of what happened and that the trooper involved was immediately sent home from the game. They also confirmed that their Office of Inspector General (OIG) would launch an internal affairs investigation into the behavior. That’s the kind of immediate action you want to see when an officer acts inappropriately.

Strangely, the process has hit a serious snag since Adaway III decided to file the complaint. Even after the player formally reported the incident as an assault to the Texas A&M Police, both the A&M Police and the Texas DPS have completely declined to provide the name of the trooper involved.

Adaway’s attorney, Keith Jackson, didn’t mince words when describing this official secrecy. Jackson stated that this refusal is a clear example of police protecting their own.

“The blue wall is a real thing as it relates to protecting their own, in this part of the country more so than others,” Jackson said in a statement. You know, it’s incredibly frustrating for the victim when police departments circle the wagons like this, especially when the evidence is so public.

Speaking as a former law enforcement officer, the blue wall is real. However, it is in defense of people doing the right thing. I never defended an officer who was doing something wrong. In fact, I reported an officer who was breaking the law and became a witness in the investigation against him. No one treated me poorly for it because when you become compromised, you’re no longer on our side.

Unfortunately, that loyalty can go too far, and that may be what is happening here. Adaway III took time to consider his options before moving forward with charges. The student-athlete even met with a psychiatrist in the wake of the widely publicized confrontation to cope with the incident and decide what action to take. It takes serious courage to stand up to law enforcement, and you can understand why he wanted professional guidance before filing an official assault complaint.

Despite the lack of cooperation in naming the trooper, Jackson remains optimistic that the District Attorney will move forward with charges. That confidence comes down to the undeniable video evidence. Jackson pointed out that the DA is likely to bring charges “only because of the video that was shown across the country that shows there was an assault committed.”