Nate Madison could have a college career or 'end up going to jail'

By CAREY FREEMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 28, 2001

CRYSTAL RIVER -- This is the story of a future on the brink. On one side lies the fruits of great athletic potential. On the other lies potential disaster.

Citrus County sports fans know the one side of Nate Madison, the Crystal River phenom who led the North Suncoast in rushing each of the past two seasons, amassing nearly 3,000 yards and 41 touchdowns.

It's a feat made more impressive by the fact he sat out -- by the school administration's choice or his own -- six games.

That brings us to the other side of Madison -- the side that has put the senior on the precipice, the side that saw him arrested and suspended from school last season, the side that made him quit school and miss the final three games of 2000.

Which side wins out remains to be seen, but this much is sure: Madison is at a crossroads in his life.

He knows this all too well. When asked what his future would look like without the chance to play football in college, Madison's answer was blunt.

"If I don't graduate," Madison said. "I'll probably end up going to jail or something."

'It falls back to last year'

How did it get this far? How could someone with such potential do such damage to himself? Will anyone -- from his high school coaches to the college coaches who wooed him -- be able to forgive him?

The problems began in November 1999, Madison said, when he was arrested then suspended from school after an altercation with a student and school administrator.

"I still can't forget that," Madison said, "how they blew it all out of proportion and tried to make me look bad.

"Everybody started looking bad at me after that," he said. "But people can think what they want to think. I know how I am and what kind of person I am. I'm not a bad guy at all."

Up to that point, Madison had been an exemplary player for the Pirates. He had not missed any practices and was displaying the kind of talent folks had expected for some time.

A star in Pop Warner and middle school, Madison was pulled up to varsity for the final three games of his freshman year and remained in the lineup as a defensive starter throughout his sophomore season.

But 1999 was to be Madison's year to shine. With the graduation of running backs Ricky Posselt and Leroy Hill, Madison became the focal point of a run-oriented offense.

Lithe but strong, quick and powerful, Madison began to turn heads almost from the beginning. On Oct. 1, he ran for a career-high 293 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-12 win over Dunnellon.

Entering the final game against Central, Madison had amassed 1,651 yards -- the fifth best total in the state at the time -- and 22 touchdowns.

Then the problems started.

On Nov. 4, Madison was charged with disruption of an educational institution and held for several hours before being released to his family.

The arrest stemmed from an incident in the in-school suspension room at Crystal River that required the attention of assistant principal Scott Meseroll.

According to the police report, school resource officer Ron Fink was called to the ISS room to assist Meseroll.

Fink said in his report that, as he approached the room "I could hear (Madison) yelling loudly in the math hallway through a set of closed doors. As I opened the door, I observed the defendant yelling loudly at Mr. Meseroll to never put his hands on him again."

Fink states that as he escorted Madison to the front office, Madison "continued to threaten Meseroll."

Meseroll declined on Friday to comment on the incident. Madison's version is similar to Fink's.

"I told (Meseroll) to get his hands off me and he wouldn't," Madison said.

"We (Madison and another student) were just arguing, and he came in and grabbed me. He grabbed me on the arm and yanked me out the door, and he kept grabbing my arm. I said, "Get your hands off me, get your hands off me', and he wouldn't get his hands off me.

"He could have let me go, because we were outside and away from the dude and everything. But no. He just had to keep grabbing me. And it wasn't just a grab, it was a grab," Madison said, grabbing his arm tightly.

"I told him to keep his hands off me, then I just started cursing. I guess I just got fed up."

Though Madison eventually was allowed to return to school, he was handed a two-game suspension from football. He returned for the second round of the playoffs and gained 123 yards in a 26-7 loss to Tampa Jefferson.

Madison finished the season with 1,880 yards and a team-leading 77 tackles. Yet no statistic was going to erase the bad memories or remove the bitter taste from his mouth.

Many thought the incident was behind Madison, but he had not forgotten or forgiven.

"Yeah that still sticks with me," he recently said. "Every time I come to school, I come to school in a bad mood. This school puts me in a bad mood ever since that happened."

The talk from students, the whispers in the halls factored in his disenchantment.

"I hear stuff from people that don't even know me," Madison said. "I hear how they talk down about me and stuff. "Oh, Nate Madison, he's too dumb to pass his test' ... stuff like that. That's just stupid stuff."

Though he never has taken the ACT or the SAT, the recruiters kept calling. Stacks of letters remain in Madison's football locker, from programs such as Miami, Boston College, USF and UCF, Syracuse and smaller schools and junior colleges.

They remained interested this year, even though his numbers were down as the result of a nagging shoulder injury and a less-experienced line in front of him.

What the recruiters and coaches didn't know was that Madison was boiling inside and his frustration was about to reach its peak.

The downward slide began after Madison was suspended from the Oct. 20 game against Lecanto.

School officials wouldn't disclose the reason for the suspension, but he returned for the next two games, leading Crystal River to a 33-7, district title-clinching win over Central with 128 yards in what would be his last high school game.

According to Pirates coach Jere Defoor, Madison did not show up for practice the following Tuesday and didn't dress out again. He left school and did not return until the begining of the second semester this month.

Damaged goods?

The letters and calls from recruiters stopped. Madison, it seems, had become damaged goods in their eyes.

But not everyone thinks Madison is a lost cause. Earl Bramlett, his coach up until this year, said he is willing to help but acknowledges that Madison must take charge of reclaiming his future.

"No one will make a commitment right now as far as I know, until they feel like he will get a diploma from high school," Bramlett said. "Now, if he gets his diploma, I feel like we can find a place for him."

Given his actions the past two seasons and that he has yet to receive a qualifying ACT or SAT score, Madison will have to take the junior college route. But first things first: graduation.

Madison said he needs to make up three classes this semester -- economics, environmental science and algebra -- and pass the Florida High School Equivalency Test to receive his diploma. School officials are not allowed to comment.

Madison seems focused on the task at hand. He has been attending class regularly and spoke to Bramlett earlier in the week about what alternatives remain.

"I feel good about it," Bramlett said. "We didn't go into detail, and we didn't go into past, just the future and what he needed to do to get an opportunity. His attitude was good when I talked to him."

The reality that he may have lost his chance forever hit Madison hard over the holidays. But he is aware of the challenges that remain and the benefits should he overcome them.

"I definitely want to continue to play football," Madison said. "I want to get out of this town, make something of myself, come back and show them I'm not the person they thought I was."

Nate Madison at a glance

AGE: 18.

HEIGHT: 6-3.

WEIGHT: 185.

POSITION: Running back/linebacker.

40-YARD TIME: 4.6 seconds.

OF NOTE: 1999 Times Citrus/Hernando Player of the Year; 1999 Times All-Suncoast first team; 1999 All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference selection; 2000 all-state third team.

Statistics

1998: 360 yards, 5 touchdowns.

1999: 1,880 yards, 22 touchdowns, team-high 77 tackles.

2000: 1,096 yards, 19 touchdowns.

CAREER TOTAL: 3,336 yards, 46 touchdowns.

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