The 'Lane Train' came crashing to a screeching halt early Thursday morning as three Tennessee players were arrested for attempted armed robbery.

All three have since been released. Nu'Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards were both out after posting bonds and Janzen Jackson was released on his own recognizance.

Now what?

How he approaches and resolves this situation will set the tone for Kiffin's tenure at Tennessee.Head coach Lane Kiffin has the chance to put a stamp on his program and cut ties with all three. One of the reason's former head coach Phillip Fulmer was let go after the 2008 season was because of the perceived lack of justice.

What takes place over the next few days will be huge not only for short-term ramifications but also long-term effects.

Jackson had started all but two games in the season and had been noted for his strong play as a freshman. But, one of the two games he did not start, the Vols 56-28 win over Memphis on Nov. 7, was because of a suspension

Now Kiffin has to find someone capable of replacing Jackson before a critical SEC matchup against Ole Miss Saturday. Neither Prentiss Waggner nor Darren Myles Jr. looked impressive in their time against Memphis.

The short-term effect is you lose a valuable piece to your defense that is currently ranked 16th in the nation in total defense with three games remaining; you also have to set a precedent for justice for your program.

But, the long-term effect may be even larger.

Kiffin has been able to take all the press, whether it be negative or positive, and put it in a positive light for the Vols. How he approaches and resolves this situation will set the tone for Kiffin's tenure at Tennessee.

But, because of the first-year coach's love of national media attention, these arrests will be plastered all over the country. Kiffin's reaction will be something to watch over the coming days. Will he do like he has done before and show his face everywhere and attack this head on or will he let the media talk about what happened? No one knows yet.

Then there is recruiting.

Tennessee had done a fabulous job building a bridge into South Florida and already has four commitments for the class of 2010 from Miami and a few more that may soon join the fold. A crucial element in keeping that relationship with South Florida will be how successfully, and how swiftly, Kiffin reacts to the arrests.

Coaches from other schools recruiting the same players will have a field day because of how this will play on national media. Jackson and Richardson were two of Kifin's marquee recruits from the 2009 class, with Richardson serving as the subject of the Lane Kiffin/Urban Meyer debate.

It's now up to Kiffin to get everyone back on board the 'train' and start the engine by himself. He won't have two of his all-star recruits, but what he will have is either the justice Tennessee has been lacking or face becoming a national media punch line.