It sure seems that Richie Farmer has made a real mess of the practically limitless goodwill that comes from being a UK basketball player and having your jersey hung from the Rupp Arena rafters. The federal criminal indictment is the latest shoe to drop.
That said, though, one can see the potential mischief possible in using the federal criminal statute under which Farmer is charged, one that makes it possible to criminally charge a government or elected official who "misapplies" government funds. This would seem a point subject to endless argument, and one best resolved at the ballot box.
So I discussed these concerns in greater length in a column published in the Lexington Herald-Leader, In Farmer Case, We Could Push So Far As to Criminalize Politics.
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