After rumors circled late last week, we have now confirmed reports that Lakewood RB Jerry Stone has been arrested for a serious criminal offense. As of this report, the District Attorney is deciding whether to prosecute Stone as a minor or adult due to a pre-existing juvenile record, therefore we will not provide details.
The incident in question occurred on Friday, August 21 in Compton and Lakewood coach Thad MacNeal was alerted of the situation that night. He told his team on Saturday before their morning practice session.
“I told the team what we know, and we won’t talk about it anymore,” said MacNeal yesterday. “I told them to come to me directly if they have any questions and to stay away from message boards, texting and the rumor mill. We don’t know what’s going to happen [with Stone’s court case] but we do know he’s done playing football at Lakewood, that’s a guarantee.”
Despite missing four games last year due to ineligibility, Stone ran over and around the competition on his way to 1450 yards and 18 TDs. He would have been the top running back returning to the Moore League this season and one of the best in Southern California. This case will end his high school career, and will greatly hinder his chances of playing at the next level.
“Bottom line is we have Crenshaw in eleven days, and we’re lucky to have two or three very good running backs ready to step up. But we lost a special one.”
Unfortunately, the immeasurably positive influence that football has had on inner-city areas in and around Long Beach is too often tempered by off-field violence, as anyone who’s followed area prep sports can attest. Jordan coach Scott Meyer knows all too well how negative outside influences can disrupt young lives, even if they are involved with positive school activities like a football team.
“Football is so important, but it’s not really on the field,” said Meyer yesterday, who lost a former player to gang violence five years ago. “It’s every day at practice when they can come and be surrounded by good coaches and kids doing the right things. You hate to see it happen, but a team is not one guy, and that team will still be one of the top in CIF.”
If any news breaks concerning Stone, we will report it, but this season we will not be mentioning Stone or this unfortunate situation in our Lakewood football articles. This is not TMZ, it’s not our job to cast judgment, and we hope you feel the same. The purpose of this site is not the defamation of any of our local prep athletes or programs—it’s to further the cause of athletics in and around our city. We hope you will comment on this article, and future articles, with restraint and maturity. This is a courtesy we would extend any player or school involved in a situation like this.
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected]