ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2008 > August > 13
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Should one stupid stunt sink your career?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This week, one of the most talked about stories on ajc.com surrounds Josh Jarboe, the former Cedar Grove High School star football player who was kicked off the University of Oklahoma football team after school officials saw a video posted on YouTube of Jarboe rapping. The freestyle rap song was filled with the usual references to guns, violence, sex and otherwise profane lyrics that are consistent with popular “gangsta rap” music. So why were Jarboe’s collegiate athletic career aspirations suddenly dashed by the Sooners? And what does it mean to the rest of us in the real job world?
What’s most interesting is that university officials overlooked what could be considered a much more serious transgression, in which Jarboe was found in illegal possession of a gun on high school property earlier this year. The university stood by him then, but ditched him over a freestyle rap? Jarboe’s lawyer stated his client was a “victim of technology.”
Do you think employers overreact when it comes to the personal lives of their employees or job candidates? Should employee’s private indiscretions ever be used as evidence for dismissal?
