This wasn't something that can be dismissed with "oh, peer pressure." They beat some poor kid within an inch of his life to rob him. When you do that, YOU are the bad seed.
No. THEY didn't, Hayes and Williams did and admitted as such. Pettaway claims that he was not involved and Calloway admitted to using one of the stolen cards for a vending machine purchase, neither particpated in the battery. I'm not saying these are good kids, I am saying 2 of them are being charged with felonies and the other 2 currently are not. Not everyone grows up in the suburbs with white picket fences surrounding them. I am also saying these kids are top talent in the country. Would I take a chance on Calloway and or Pettaway? Maybe. Hayes and Williams are the bad seeds. In the end it's a shame when kids like this get mixed up with the wrong types of people, which I am sure happened well before coming to Alabama.
Also many people grow up in slums, trailer parks, ghetto's government assisted living and don't perform those actions. Where you grew up is not an acceptable argument for battery.