'Noles seek answers while Sexton seeks peace of mind

Wyatt Sexton is in rehab in Pensacola, Fla. Wyatt Sexton is hospitalized in Tallahassee. Wyatt Sexton is ... home, having been kicked off the Florida State team. BREAKING NEWS! CNN just reported Wyatt Sexton is the latest shark attack victim on the Gulf Coast.

Wyatt Sexton's troubles add to FSU's quarterback problem. (Getty Images)

Florida State's quarterback is somewhere right now, on the verge of becoming supermarket tabloid fodder. Ask Elvis (if you can) -- absence makes the heart grow more speculative. Sexton turned into an unsolved mystery when he went underground shortly after a bizarre incident on a residential Tallahassee street earlier this month.

Clad only in shorts, the previously mild-mannered Tallahassee native claimed he was God, then was pepper sprayed, handcuffed and taken to a hospital. A pattern seemingly has developed this offseason. Turns out the rising junior previously had skipped voluntary offseason drills and had been suspended on June 3 for a violation of team rules.

His disappearance from public view only added to sales of "Where is Wyatt?" the home game.

Smart aleck comments aside, the first emotion reserved for Sexton should be compassion. At this point, it really doesn't matter if he plays again for the Seminoles. The important thing is that he gets his life straightened out.

The second emotion should be saved for Florida State: pity. What the heck has happened to one of the greatest quarterback legacies in history?

The program has become the old abandoned well into which quarterbacks fall. Sexton is the sixth FSU quarterback in the past seven years to be involved in an off-field problem. Just since 2000 Chris Weinke won the Heisman:

• Adrian McPherson was booted from the team before pleading no contest to theft and gambling charges.
• Chris Rix spent four years never panning out, his inconsistency maddening to even the laidback Bobby Bowden.
• Forced into action, Sexton was supposed to provide some stability after starting seven games last season but even he lost his job in 2004. Twice.
• Rix landed the job in 2001 as a redshirt freshman because Jared Jones was kicked off the team for numerous rules violations.

Weinke scored the starter's job in 1998 because Dan Kendra injured his knee in the spring game. Later that year, Kendra received 12 stitches after being injured by a homemade explosive device.

Now that the Curse of the Bambino has ended, the Hex of Rix is upon us. The well is filling up. Bowden can only hope that Lassie and Timmy go fetch a rope.

Coincidentally, Florida State's run of excellence has ended. A streak of 14 consecutive years ranked in the top five was halted in 2001. In 2003, the 'Noles started the season ranked outside the top 10 for the first time in 17 years. The new, improved and expanded ACC went to Virginia Tech last year.

Think quarterback wasn't the problem? Total offense (373 yards per game) was the worst since 1981. The 11 touchdowns thrown last year were the fewest since Bowden's first year in 1976. The passing yards, 2,526, were the fewest since 1987.

Compared to the Weinke era (1997-2000), passing yards since 2001 are down 19 percent and touchdowns are down 21 percent.

It's hard to blame a person, place or thing. The situation just is. McPherson was one of the top recruits in the country. Rix was a flake on and off the field, once failing to wake up for an exam and was suspended for a Sugar Bowl. Bowden's only fault was sticking with Rix too long. Those were two quarterbacks that everyone wanted.