Sampson commits dreaded offense

The final week of classes in any quarter is rather uneventful. Filled with late nights of studying and preparation for finals to come, the usual drama of the regular school week is left behind.

Such is not true for two members of the Washington Husky football team. Early this week, drama broke out in the HUB's Husky Den.

Husky sophomore tailback Shelton Sampson walked into the room and began socializing like this was any other day. Sampson was outfitted in a brown sport coat, a blue dress shirt, some dark blue jeans, with his head covered by a dark navy blue patrol hat.

However, on this day, something was visibly different with Sampson but neither friend nor casual onlooker could figure out what that something was until he took off his hat. Upon removing, Sampson unveiled to everyone a clean, fresh, scalp -- completely uncharacteristic.

Without the hat, Sampson was hardly recognizable. Even his own teammates treated him as a recruit.

"Hey there, my name is Zach, I hope you have a great trip and you should really think about coming here to Washington," senior fullback Zach Tuiasosopo said.

Over the past three years, Sampson has been known for his well-manicured, fashionable dreadlocks, gaining him acceptance into the club known as "Dreads Incorporated."

Sampson joined fellow Huskies senior Charles Frederick and sophomore Isaiah Stanback in this prestigious group. After years of loyalty and participation, the departure of Sampson took a toll on both Frederick and, more notably, Stanback.

"Charles and I are the founding fathers," Stanback said. "Shelton was the eldest member after us, so it's sad to see him go."

The displeasure from Stanback was obvious and he was not afraid to let it be known.

"I am not happy. Shelton was my dread brother," Stanback said. "He has defiled the Jamaicans and Bob Marley's everywhere. He is no longer a part of our culture."

But his frustration quickly evaporated and instead turned into disappointment.

"Everything has to change," Stanback said. "His wardrobe, his dread hats, his dread product. It all has to go because Shelton can no longer represent the Dreads Inc."

The group of football players with dreadlocks is a tight knit group of Huskies who assist each other with the upkeep of their hair.

"Shelton bought packs of dread-product for his hair so there was no sign of him cutting them off," Stanback said, tying back his own dreads to keep them out of his face.

Stanback feels like he lost someone special with Sampson shedding his mane, though he says this has happened before.

"It surprised me, but it didn't," he said. "He has committed this crime before."

Stanback continues with intensity in his eyes as he retells the dreaded tale.

"Freshman year, in the summer of 2002 when we came into UW, someone wrote on Shelton's knee pad that they were going to 'cut your dreads.' That night, out of my periphery, in the left corner of my cerebrum, I saw Shelton cutting off all his dreads."

Stanback, Frederick and Sampson all created a bond through their dreadlocks, and Stanback said that bond is now broken in all respects.

"On ESPN, me, Charles and Shelton all did the hair dance," he said. "Now, Shelton must be digitally cut from the highlights because he is now a past-tense dread brother. It takes dedication. Dedication, I guess, Shelt didn't have."

Listening to this, Sampson collected his thoughts and responded to the quarterback's acquisitions.

"It was time for a change," he said.

Sampson connected the frustration of this season's football performance to his hair cut, both for his team and individually.

"We got to do big things next year, and it starts with this," Sampson said. "This is my form of change."

Sampson is not the only Husky that is looking for a change. Junior quarterback Casey Paus also shaved his head following the Husky awards banquet.

There is no evidence of a new fashion trend here, but certain football players do feel as though it is time for a change. With the end of an era and the start a new one imminent, Sampson and others understand that, at this stage, change is good for the Husky football program.