Monday, March 15, 2010

Legal Issues for Numerous University of Oregon Ducks Football Players

Excellent summary of the legal problems up at Oregon.  Even the Ducks’ kicker got in trouble after pushing a woman down, and then promptly getting his ass kicked.

 

Excerpt:

Along with Heisman hopeful, Jeremiah Masoli, being suspended for the 2010 season, Oregon's suspensions and dismissals are beginning to rival the amount of bail their players have posted in the last six months.  While the biggest suspension is QB Masoli for lying to his coach about stealing a pair of laptops and a guitar from a campus fraternity, other players have been suspended or dismissed for other transgressions.

Starting tailback LaMichael James will miss the first game of the season after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of physical harassment stemming from a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend. The reason Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is suspending him from just one game is because unlike Masoli, James didn't lie to his coach about the incident.  Wide receiver Garrett Embry also pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary as Masoli's accomplice in the robbery. Embry was dismissed from the team Jan. 8 for 'unspecified rules violations'.  Kicker Rob Beard was so inebriated Jan. 24 that he doesn't remember pushing a women to the ground or the ensuing butt-whipping he took from two other men soon after. Beard was beat unconscious, seriously injured (facial injuries), and then charged with a misdemeanor of physical harassment. Like James, he'll be suspended for one game.

Defensive end Matt Simms, a former walk-on, must have been as inebriated as Beard. He attempted to retaliate against the men who smashed in Beard's face, but ended up assaulting the wrong guy and getting charged with misdemeanor assault. Kelly dismissed him from the team for 'unspecified rules violations' and then Simms pleaded to a lesser charge of harassment.

Backup linebacker Kiko Alonso was arrested for driving drunk, and suspended for the 2010 season as well.  The best suspension/dismissal is the case of wide receiver Jamere Holland.

While under the impression that Alonso had been kicked off the team, rather than his actual suspension, he posted on Facebook the following, "how the f@!% you kick kinko off the team,,,on some weak s#@$ n%$$@s always faded he slipped up but ive benn slippn up, and I'm still here, that s#@$ weak buff cuh could have done damage for the ducks, s#@$ is weak, weak a&$ f%$#, quote me"

The symbols are an attempt of some screening on my part, but you get the jist of what he said. This was before writing, "I wish I could block whites as friends and only have blacks LOL," and then, "For the record I'm not a racist.."

Sure he's not. It's reported that Kelly dismissed Holland from the team for the first comment, but the second one could have been cause as well. Whatever the reason, Holland is no longer a Duck. Those posts are no longer on his Facebook page, but you can see a screenshot of them by clicking here.

So, the next time you have a complaint about the Cal program, just remember that it could always be worse -- much, much worse.

 

Read the rest here.

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