Sports

Mississippi Police Contradicts Mission Statement To Victim Blame Ole Miss For Stolen Football Jersey

by Last Updated
Trinidad Chambliss jersey stolen Mississippi State Starkville Police victim blame
iStockphoto / © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had not one, but two of his college football jerseys stolen prior to the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State on Friday. Starkville police is choosing to blame the Rebels.

It is a terrible look for the department.

To blame a college football team for the actions of a criminal directly contradicts the role of police in society. It is actually your fault that you were the target of a crime.

Trinidad Chambliss had his jersey stolen at Mississippi State.

No rivalry in college football is more hostile than the Egg Bowl. Sure, ‘The Game’ and the ‘Iron Bowl’ might be more “famous” or “historic” but the Egg Bowl is on another level in terms of hatred.

It is about more than just football.

Ole Miss represents the high society, pretentious side of the Magnolia State while Mississippi State represents the hand-in-the-dirt, more unassuming side of the state, rooted in agriculture. I’ll use a Hardy lyric, just for example.

“He went to Ole Miss, I went to work. He pushes paper, I push the dirt.”

The rivalry goes deeper than sports and it almost always turns violent. A brawl broke out on Firday.

Chambliss, a first-year quarterback for the Rebels with no previous ties to Mississippi, said after the game that he will “hate” the Bulldogs for the rest of his life.

A large part of that stems from what happened during pregame. His jersey was stolen— twice. Once around 10:00 p.m. Again around 3:00 a.m. Here is a video of the heist:

The jersey was desecrated in the locker room.

It was later used as a shower mat.

Trinidad Chambliss Jersey
Old Row

As of right now, the investigation remains ongoing. It is unclear as to how this was allowed to happen or who was responsible.

Starkville police victim blame Ole Miss.

The Starkville Police Department is supposed to be in charge of this investigation. The job of the police, by definition, is to enforce laws, maintain public order, and protect communities by responding to emergencies, investigating crimes, and preventing criminal activity.

“The mission of the Starkville Police Department is to provide excellence in police services and leadership in reducing crime and the fear of crime.”

And yet, instead of trying to find the culprit for the Egg Bowl jersey heist, Starkville PD chose to mock the Rebels for leaving the door to their locker room unlocked. It blamed the victims of the crime for the crime instead of the criminal.

Per the law, it does not matter whether the door was locked or unlocked. That is still theft and against the law. Starkville Police should know that.

To make matters worse, the account on X turned off replies for its post. It knew what it chose to post was wrong and chose not to face the criticism.

According to the Starkville Police Department, if someone breaks into your home while you are away and steals your personal items, it is actually your fault because the point of entry was unlocked. Sucks to suck.