It was the feel-good story of the 2009 college football season, when Mark Ingram Jr. took the Heisman Trophy and tearfully thanked his father, a former NFL star, who watched his son's games from a prison cell.

But harsh reality has intruded on the Hollywood tale.

Mark Ingram Sr. (pictured above) was sentenced to two additional years in federal prison. His crime? Jumping bail in an attempt to watch his Heisman Trophy–winning son play in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

Ingram Sr., a former receiver for the New York Giants, was supposed to surrender to authorities in December 2008 to start a seven-year stretch for money laundering and bank fraud. He will now serve almost 10 years.

Anyone with a beating heart can understand why Ingram Sr. delayed his appointment with the jailer to watch his son play college football. And I understand why U.S. District Judge Thomas Platt was reluctant to impose the heavier sentence.

But the law is the law. And Ingram, who has had a string of arrests since his playing days, knew that the consequences of skipping bail could be stiff. He was denied a request to remain free until after the Sugar Bowl, so ignorance of the law isn't an excuse.

To his credit, Ingram Sr. took his medicine like a man. He said before being sentenced that he had to accept responsibility for his decision.

Even though his son's Alabama team lost that night, I think he would do it all over again.

[Note to Readers: Alabama lost the 2009 Sugar Bowl to Utah 31-17. A year later, Alabma won the National Championship defeating Texas.]