This is an opinion column.

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Fall camp is here for college football. Auburn and Alabama begin their preseason practices on Wednesday. At Auburn, opinions are split on receiver Malcolm Simmons. Simmons was arrested on July 16 and charged with domestic assault with strangulation or suffocation.

For some, my recent column on Hugh Freeze was unfair. Others are less supportive of Auburn’s coach. Let’s get to it.

Dewayne writes …

It is amazing how hard you are coming down in Auburn for the Simmons situation when you didn’t print a thing about [Alabama basketball coach] Nate Oats playing the kid every night that was involved in the shooting murder couple years ago. Freeze has run a very clean program given all the drama at Alabama and Georgia. But everything in this state is always tilted. Report fairly and evenly or don’t report at all.

Connie writes …

There’s absolutely no way that Simmons should not be suspended. Not just from the team, but from the school. Now, if new information comes to light, he could be reinstated. Would you want your child attending school with an accused felon? Constitutional rights and the right to participate in collegiate studies or extracurricular activities are separate issues. Same as with the basketball player at Alabama, which should have suspended him immediately. There is so much liability if the accused commits another offense while he is still on campus.

Paul in Opelika writes …

Great column on the Simmons matter. I am a proud Auburn alumnus and a former football manager and grad assistant during the Barfield and Dye eras. One sentence in your column especially hit the mark. Playing football at Auburn is indeed a privilege, and not a right. I would extend that to coaching at Auburn. And there must be accountability.

Contrast the Tahaad Pettiford situation this summer in which he took full responsibility for his actions. Yet Freeze, Simmons and [athletics director John] Cohen sit silently.

Frankly, I’m not surprised. Auburn risked this kind of thing when it hired Freeze. And here it is. This is not a problem Freeze can wipe away on the golf course. It’s a sad, sorry mess.

Sage writes …

In gambling parlance, it’s a “lock” that his girlfriend will drop the charges — expect it within 10 calendar days at the most. This situation is nothing that a little “NIL” cash can’t handle. They will simply buy her decision to drop charges. Guaranteed. $$$$$

Wayne in Elberta, Ala., writes …

Simmons has not been proven guilty yet. Now, I hope he is not practicing with the team and participating in team activities, and for the record, from what I have read, I suspect he is guilty. In your article, you ask if AU football players are above the law. Answer: No! But they are also entitled to a full, thorough investigation which doesn’t have to be an open book to the public. Before you stir things up, why not wait for practice to start — not that far off. Then, if he is on the practice field, jump on him and AU with both feet.

Deric in Hudson, Fla., writes …

Simmons says he didn’t do it. Self-inflicted injury has occurred in cases of domestic abuse. It’s a real possibility. He also could be a liar and deserves punishment if found guilty. It’s not your job or mine to find him guilty unless we are on the jury. It’s absolutely your job to seek, find, and report the truth regardless of the outcome.

Roger in the sky writes …

Shoot, aim, ready! Whatever happened to due process? The police can charge anybody they want. Luckily, we have a Constitution that gives rights to the people. Let’s hypothetically say he didn’t do it. You want to create two victims instead of one until he is convicted. He is entitled to the rights afforded him. I thought you quit being a Bamer, but I guess you’re back!

ANSWER: As a columnist, it’s not my job to make people fat and happy. This isn’t a Chic-fil-A drive-through. We’re not making milkshakes and fried chicken. As a columnist, it’s my job to create buzz, entertain, cut through the noise and write my opinion based on facts. Fans love to rally around the Constitution when players on their teams are arrested, but due process has absolutely nothing to do with getting paid to catch footballs. Should Simmons go to jail? That’s not for me to decide or even question. Should he continue playing for Auburn after being arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend? That’s a different matter, and the answer is clearly no.

I love all the emails that fill my inbox, but it appears like some of my friends only recently learned how to read. What’s this about me ignoring the murder of Jamea Harris involving Alabama basketball players? Talk about bias. It never fails. Some people only see what they want to see. I’ve written at least a dozen columns related to Harris’ murder.

We’re not going to play the whataboutism game, though. Every case is different. Just ask Freeze and Auburn. Simmons isn’t the only Auburn football player to be charged with a felony in the past month. Linebacker DJ Barber was arrested for crimes related to dealing drugs on July 7. Two days later, he was kicked off the team.

Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Shouldn’t Barber still be on the roster, too?

The answer is no, of course. Freeze got that one right.

The same logic can be applied to Alabama with basketball coach Nate Oats. He never suspended Brandon Miller for bringing a gun to a shootout, but Oats did cut ties with basketball player Jaykwon Walton after being arrested with guns in his car.

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”