Commentary | Ex-Manatee star Johnnie Lang says life of poverty and crime necessitated a move to Utah
In the end Johnnie Lang had to do what was best for him and get his life in order, says Utah attorney Michael Ford.
Ford represented Lang before the Utah High School Activities Association recently to ask that the former Manatee High star running back be allowed to play his senior season at East High in Salt Lake City.
Ford said the hearing went well and he expects Lang to be on the field next week for his first game.
"At the hearing, (Lang) explained that he really was just getting kind of a fresh start and new opportunity," Ford said. "There was also academics. He felt like he wanted to be academically eligible for Division I."
When he appeared before the UHSAA, Lang described a life that made it hard for him to stay out of trouble and said many of his friends had either gone to jail or were killed.
Lang was suspended from the Manatee High football team last spring for his involvement in a burglary. He pled no contest on Thursday and is scheduled to be formally sentenced in December as a youthful offender, but will not be convicted. The agreement requires him to serve 90 days jail time beginning next June.
Lang could've waited for Manatee High School to determine whether he would be eligible to play this season, but the 5-8, 190-pound running back said he was stuck in an environment of drugs, violence and poverty that made his life almost impossible.
Ford and Mark Van Wagoner, attorney for the UHSAA, said now that Lang's situation is adjudicated, the matter of his eligibility would be decided by the East High principal.
"East High has a bye this week and I expect him to play the following week," Ford said. "Johnnie has been enrolled at the school since the summer and has been practicing with the team though he was not allowed to participate in any activities like camp or seven-on-seven tournaments."
Lang moved to Utah with Demitrios Murray and his nephew, Daymon Murray, a senior at East High who previously played at Lakewood Ranch.
"Johnnie didn't understand the process that was going on in Florida," Ford said. "He came to Utah not to run from his problems, but just to get into a better environmental situation."
Lang's departure means Manatee has officially lost its two best players from last year. Defensive standout Kwanzi Jackson withdrew from the school earlier this week.
Jason Montgomery, Manatee County supervisor of athletics and former Manatee High athletic director, said it would be wrong for these incidents to reflect negatively on the coaching staff at Manatee.
"Manatee is no different than any other school and there are components there where they go above and beyond in what they do for their kids," Montgomery said. "They have one of the strongest character development programs I ever seen. Anyone who goes in there and sees what the coaches are doing will see its a great school.
"When you are dealing with humans, people are going to make mistakes. Part of character building is to be ready to step in and play your part if you are part of a team. It's unfortunate some of these things happen. You just hope those kids get an opportunity to straighten out their lives. I wish them the best."
This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Commentary | Ex-Manatee star Johnnie Lang says life of poverty and crime necessitated a move to Utah."