You only see them during game time. Playing a game as well as they do is one thing, but modeling your behavior after them is another. Unfortunately, media scrutiny being the way that it is, athletes' private lives are under intense scrutiny and they all will tell you that. We hear about the bad things but having been a part of community outreach programs where I have seen kids faces light up because they can see and touch a person they see on TV, the effect is profound. You can't make a difference.
Kids are like fish.
Let's get one thing straight. It is never in any defendant's best interest to testify. And things are not going well. In the case of Rae Carruth, the usual pitfalls are not there in that he is a good kid. He doesn't have a criminal background or a terrible past, but once he takes the stand all of his personal peccadilloes become fodder, and I am sure the prosecution can have a field day with his personal relationships and the way he conducted himself in some situations.