One minute, hugging him and telling him everything is going to be all right seems like the thing to do.

The next minute, though, shaking him until his teeth rattle seems more fitting.

When Marcus Harrison got arrested this weekend, he surprised and disappointed a lot of people.

His family, his friends, his teammates and his coaches are among that group, but the person he hurt absolutely the most was himself.

Understand, this is not about football. Harrison wasn’t even being counted on early this season.

Despite being named a starting defensive end hours before his arrest, he is still recovering from surgery.

Yet, he was at practice every day, working hard and showing all the senior leadership anyone could want.

The move from defensive tackle to defensive end was going to help him in next spring’s NFL Draft. Being able to play two positions, combined with his strength and natural abilities, would make him a high pick.

Then he was pulled over for speeding, very near his home, and found to be in possession of a very small amount of marijuana and an Ecstasy pill.

Ecstasy is young people’s recreational drug of choice these days.

They are erroneously told it doesn’t have side effects, yet tens of thousands of young people die each year after taking the drug.

It is usually not a direct result of the drug, but an indirect one, such as an accident or being in the wrong place at the wrong time and not having the sense to escape.

While it was only 50-50 he would play in Saturday’s opener against Troy, Houston Nutt has ruled him out of that game for sure and suspended him indefinitely.

He said Arkansas will await the legal process and review his status in the coming weeks.

Before anyone starts jumping up and down and screaming Harrison should be gone for the season, remember that others have made mistakes in the past and learned from them.

No, not all, but Carlos Hall made two wrong turns, made some changes in his life and became a model citizen.

Yet, his NFL stocked dropped to the 29 th pick of the seventh round.

Hall, though, didn’t give up. Now a devoted husband and father, he is starting his sixth season in the NFL. He is with the Denver Broncos.

Everyone makes mistakes. To err is human, forgive divine.

Yet, you almost wish one of the coaches on the Razorbacks staff would address the entire team at the first meeting every year on a couple of issues.

If a player just feels he has to be stupid and shoplift, the worst place to do it is in Dillard’s, which has dozens and dozens of cameras.

And if a player feels like he just has to be dumb enough to drink too much or do drugs, do it at home. If he can’t be that smart, he shouldn’t get behind the wheel of a car. Period.

Obviously, you want all the kids to do right, but that doesn’t happen, especially not in the SEC, where it seems arrests are being made regularly at one of the 12 institutions.

However, this is a perfect time with the perfect example to teach the kids that no one is above the law.

Michael Vick was one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, yet that did not give him the right to break the law.

After Vick pleaded guilty to promoting dogfighting and killing dogs, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him indefinitely.

Goodell gave the Atlanta Falcons the go-ahead to reclaim part of the $ 22 million signing bonus and Vick’s 10-year, $ 130 million contract.

If they take one year, that’s $ 15. 2 million. No one is supposed to be above the law.

It is absolutely true Marcus Harrison was not inhumane, he was not arrogant, and he did not think he was above the law.

He did not harm anyone or anything.

He did, however, hurt and disappoint a lot of people, but the person he hurt and disappointed the most was Marcus Harrison.