FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas offensive tackle Jason Peacock didn’t want to go into details about the grueling work he had to perform to earn his way back onto the field following his on-campus arrest for theft last spring.
Whatever it was, Peacock clearly put his heart into it.
The 6-4, 321-pound senior stands as the only Arkansas player among six arrested in the spring to make it back to the 2012 roster.
“I had to do a heck of a lot to get back,” Peacock said. “I’m just really thankful they gave me a chance to.”
Arkansas Coach John L. Smith said his strategy with players undergoing punishment is to give them a chance to make corrections.
“He has done a tremendous job of correcting the problem,” Smith said. “The ball was in his court, so he had to get this thing done. At this point, he has solved everything that he can, so he has put himself in as good a stead with us as he can.”
Peacock, 23, was arrested March 5 and originally charged with Class D felony theft of property for taking a wallet from an unattended purse and using it to purchase $35.01 in gasoline. He pleaded guilty June 18 to misdemeanor theft of property and received a year of probation, which, if he serves successfully, will wipe the arrest off his record.
Peacock’s attorney, W.H. Taylor of Fayetteville, said Peacock felt immediate remorse, essentially while he was pumping the gas.
“I wish I could have took it back then, but the deed had been done,” Peacock said. “I apologized and everything, but I still had to go through the whole process. I couldn’t blame anyone. It was totally my fault.”
The Milledgeville, Ga., native, a nine-game starter at offensive tackle for the Razorbacks, said he has come to understand how important football is to him.
“I’m trying to make a better way for my family and everything, whether it’s going to the NFL or working and getting a degree here,” he said. “It’s pretty much all I have.”
Sports, Pages 18 on 08/09/2012