“We all have a responsibility and obligation to represent the university, ourselves and our family in a first-class way. Obviously, we’re a little disappointed that better choices and decisions weren’t made here, but until we get the facts, we don’t really have much else to say about it.”

That’s what Alabama coach Nick Saban told the Sports Drive with Randy Kennedy and Creg Stephenson when addressing Cam Robinson’s recent arrest.

The key word in Saban’s early message was “decisions.” As in plural. More than one.

That’s critically important because that obviously was lost on some of Robinson’s teammates, who immediately and understandably took to his defense.

The problem, as Saban knows and players like Hand need to understand, is this wasn’t just one mistake.

This was a series of bad decisions that led to an arrest, and the charges are serious enough that they suggest this wasn’t the first time Robinson has steered left of the law.

Charges must be proven. They are in no way interchangeable with guilt. But it’s difficult to imagine anybody’s first alleged lawbreaking episode involving two guns, one stolen, and possession of marijuana, all charges Robinson is facing.

In football parlance, that’s like playing your first organized football game in the SEC.

Robinson’s profile as a projected All-American and early first-round NFL Draft pick simply raises the stakes for all parties involved. Texas A&M players recently railed against a culture that enabled Johnny Manziel, in large part because, well, he was Johnny Football and Johnny Football won a lot of big games on Saturday.

Robinson might be Alabama’s most important offensive player this fall.

Saban doesn’t have the reputation of an enabler, but his decisions moving forward regarding Robinson will test that.

Saban could play it safe and wait for the courts to dictate his action. Most coaches take this route, basing their punishment on the court’s decision.

But let’s not confuse a skilled lawyer’s ability to get charges reduced or dropped — which is the goal — with a coach’s duty to send the correct message.

Larry Bird didn’t wait for the courts when his Indiana Pacers were involved in yet another gun-related incident. In a directive so obvious it drew laughter when uttered Bird told the media that his players can’t be hanging out with murderers.

Saban knows this. He sees the big picture. He told Paul Finebaum he’s shared a similar message.

“One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you’re around guns unless you’re going hunting, and you don’t want to mess around with women that you don’t know because a lot of times bad things happen,” Saban said during an interview on the Paul Finebaum Show. “And in this case, a couple of those things were violated. I think it’s going to be a learning experience for everybody on our team.”

Maybe now it’s time to stop talking and start acting.

It’s possible, maybe likely, that Robinson is the really good person everybody says he is. It’s possible, though unlikely, that this was just a one-time lapse in judgment.

But it was serious lap that could have produced far worse results. Deadly, even.

The what-if often gets ignored and labeled an overreaction when nobody gets hurt. But we’ve seen far too many otherwise innocuous incidents turn tragic when guns were present, readily available.

Kids, in particular, focus on the result, not the risk. It’s the parent’s job to flip that thinking, to explain why eliminating the risk almost always leads to a better result.

For now, Saban seems content to take his time. Which is perfectly within his right. He told Finebaum and others that Alabama will handle its investigation internally. Punishment might not be public, either, in the obvious form of a suspension.

“It’s the same thing I’ve been saying to everybody,” Saban told Finebaum. “We’re gathering information about it. When we get the facts, we’ll determine whether there’s something we need to do internally or not. But Cam Robinson’s been a really good player for us. He’s been a really good person for us. He’s never been in trouble before. So all those things are things that need to be taken into consideration.

“It’s certainly not the kind of behavior that we’d like for any of our players to ever represent the university or themselves or their family, and certainly there’s lessons to be learned here.”

Alabama opens the season against Southern Cal on national television. Whether Robinson starts or sits will be a story, regardless.

Either way, Saban has a decision to make, a message to send.

Which will it be? We’ll be watching.

Chris Wright is Executive Editor for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.