The Rap Sheet - College Sports (updated)

Not that I like doing this, but I have started a rap sheet for college sports - and the more I started looking for stories, the more disgusted I got. Is college athletics representative of society as a whole? Are these incidents no more common, but just more highly reported? I don't know, but the state of college athletics and ethics is clearly way out of whack. To be able to come up with a list of items in such a short period of time is shameful.

I plan on keeping this list updated and bringing this post back to the top on a regular basis.

8-19-2004, Connecticut assistant men's coach Clyde Vaughan was among more than a dozen people arrested in a prostitution sting run by Hartford police. Story here.

8-19-2004, USC RB Hershal Dennis has been suspended "indefinitely" for "disciplinary reasons". Bigtime potential problems stemming from a late night party and sexual assault charges. No charges have been filed yet. Story here.

8-19-2004, a police detective testifies at the Colorado sex-scandal case. Link here.

8-18-2004, LSU DE Melvin Oliver pleaded not guilty to simple battery charges and theft. Link here.

8-17-2004, British sprinter Dwain Chambers tested positive for THG and was not allowed to compete in the Olympics. But evidently he is ok to play football for Chabot Junior College. Link here.

8-17-2004, a USC player is under investigation for sexual assault. Link here.

8-17-2004, FORMER Colorado football player Damon Dickey was arrested for parole violation. Link here.

8-15-2004, Nicholls State head football coach Daryl Daye was fired due to academic fraud. Story here.

8-13-2004, Ohio State football player Ira Guilford pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge. He faces up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Story here.

8-13-2004, Cleveland State hoops program is under investigation by the NCAA for possible rules violations. Story here.

8-12-2004, the Missouri hoops team had a hearing before the NCAA infractions committee on alleged rules violations. Link here.

8-11-2004, FORMER Nevada football player Rodney Landingham was indicted after he admitted he robbing 2 Reno banks. Story here.

8-10-2004, S.Illinois guard Stetson Hairston was suspended indefinitely after being charged with felony trespassing, mob action and misdemeanor battery. Michael Dale was also suspended for the first 3 games of the season. Story here.

8-8-2004, Nevada coach Chris Ault is shocked over the 9 football players in his program that have been arrested for felony charges in the past 1.5 years. The latest was Rodney Landingham, for robbing 3 Reno banks. Don't forget the July arrests of Brenton Kendrick and Steven Murphy on multiple drug charges. Story here.

8-7-2004, Texas RB Cedric Benson avoids jail time due to prison overcrowding. He was arrested for trespassing after kicking down an apt. door in an attempt to get a TV back he says was stolen. Link here.

8-6-2004, Miss. RB Jamal Pittman was suspended for at least 6 games and LB Ken Bournes was booted from the team. They pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in a gun possesion case. Story here.

8-5-2004, University of Georgia was put on probation for 4 years and loses a scholarship for 3 for major academic and monetary violations. UGA is considered a repeat offender since they were found guilty of major violations within the past 5 years. Story here.

8-4-2004, Colorado sex assault officials are resigning over frustrations in how the sex scandal case has been handled on campus.

8-4-2004, Texas senior hoops player Jason Klotz has been charged with a misdemeanor assault after allegedly striking his girlfriend - story here.

8-4-2004, Marcus Vick was kicked off the team for the 2004 season and has now pleaded guilty to reckless driving and no contest to dope possesion.

8-3-2004, Kent State QB Joshua Cribbs was sentenced to 5 years probation for marajuana possesion - story here.. He was originally charged with trafficking, which was reduced. The grand punishment - he will miss one game. By the way, did I mention that Cribbs is Kent State's record holder for total offense in a season and career?

8-2-2004, UCLA WR Idris Moss was dismissed from the team for undisclosed multiple violations of team policy. Story here.

8-2-2004, Antrel Rolle was reinstated to the team after the assistant state attorney decided not to pursue charges, citing his lack of previous record and "post-arrest contrition", whatever that means. Do you think it mattered that Rolle's dad is chief of police in a neighboring town??? HHHhhhmmmm???

8-2-2004, Matt Sinclair and Ryan Matha, Illinois football players were charged Monday with aggravated battery stemming from a weekend bar fight. Story here.

7-30-2004, AZ St football player Conner Banks pleaded guilty to extreme drunken driving - story here. He was 3 times the legal limit. One word - idiot. Interestingly, he was stripped of his number - 42 - which happens to have been Pat Tillman's number, which they will now retire.

7-30-2004, incoming freshman Virginia recruit Ahmad Bradshaw was cut from the team, for undisclosed reasons. Probably had something to do with his arrest for obstruction of justice and underage drinking. Evidently this may not be all in Bradshaw's past - story here. Hey, Al Groh, where is your giving spirit. Why can't you have more heart, like Larry Coker. I mean he manages to look past 11 arrests in 5 years. Surely this kid hasn't been jailed that much. Where is your giving spirit. Just another example of why Miami is #1 a football school - and don't forget it.

7-29-2004, Marcus Douthit, who the Lakers just drafted from Providence, was charged Thursday with taking part in an identity theft and embezzlement insurance scam. Nice way to throw away a career - just as he was about to sign a deal with the Lakers.

7-29-2004, FSU's Bobby Meeks was reinstated to the team after felony charges were dropped stemming from a scuffle at a nightclub. He ended up with only misdemeanor charges with a year's probation.

7-28-2004, Nick-Caner Medley, a Maryland hoops standout, is arrested in Maine on a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct in a nightclub........

7-28-2004, on a non-related but related note, FORMER Maryland player Lonnie Baxter could be charged with something like an unlawful discharge of a weapon in his home - story here..... Thank goodness he wasn't partying with Medley that night.

7-27-2004, link here, ex-Lasalle head coach Billy Hahn, while admitting that he took no action when a women approached him with allegations of a sexual assault by one of his players, denies he discouraged her from going to the police. He says she told him she just wanted it to go away, so therefore he did nothing. Hhhhmmm. Do you think she would have TOLD you about if she didn't want it brought up? Maybe she wanted you to take the lead and handle the situation by bringing the truth to light and making your player face the allegations. Naaaah.

7-26-2004, Tenn Vols coach Phillip Fulmer is being accused of conspring with the NCAA to bring down the Alabama football program. As a result, Fulmer decides not to attend the media circus that is the SEC media day for fear of a media circus.

7-26-2004, former Penn St. WR Maurice Humphrey, 20 years old, will not go to jail for assaulting his girlfriend. Luckily fracturing her jaw is only "simple assault".

7-21-2004, Florida LB Taureen Charles remained in jail after he was arrested for aggrevated battery. This is the 2nd time in a year he has been arrested - last time was for simple battery. Evidently he is getting more complex in his felonies. Story here. What is funny to me in the story is that for his first arrest, he served one YEAR probation, had to go to anger management courses, yet he only missed one game. Whatever.

7-20-2004, Florida football playes Channing Crowder and Jarvis Herring will serve a one-game suspension over an off-the-field incident over the summer - story here.

7-20-2004, maybe not fair to include this, but FORMER Nebraska RB Thunder Collins was arrested on warrents stemming from burglary and assault charges. Not in college any longer so maybe not fair to include, but I will anyhow. Link here.

7-20-2004, Tennesse WR James Banks reinstated to the team after a suspension over a verbal altercation with a female at the student center over the summer. Last Fri he was also issued citations for underage alcohal consumption and voilating the city noise ordinance. He will ultimately miss 3 games due to the suspension. Story here........ This article speaks to what local fans and media are saying, which is "how many chances does this guy get?", and that he got a slap on the wrist.

7-19-2004, Miss RB Jamal Pittman and LB Ken Bournes were suspended "indefinitely" from the team following a weekend arrest for something along the lines of "reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon" and "resisting official detention". Story here......... Updated link.

7-16-2004, update, police testify in the CU case that athletes were treated better than regular students, duhh. The steriod abusers at Air Force will be court-marshalled......Miami suspends stud Antrel Rolle "indefinitely after battery charges filed. We have yet to find out if "suspended" means he'll miss the opener against FSU....... BYU players appear in court over assualt and robbery charges...... This guy who shot a MidWestern St. U football player turned himself in...... Ok.ST. OL Adam Gourley was suspended "indefinitely" from the team for assualt charges.

7-16-2004, U Louisiana Lafayette head coach Glynn Cyprien was fired for lying on his resume. Poor George O'Leary can't get through one of these stories without mention.

7-15-2004, a judge delays the trial of a former Baylor U hoops player charged with murder of his ex-teammate. Story on Carlton Dotson here.

7-15-2004, Bob Huggins re-instated as coach after drunken driving charges - link here.

7-13-2004, BYU players Marcus Whalen and Breyon Jones appear in court on charges alleging they assaulted and robbed an acquaintance. Link here. Starting junior middle linebacker Devon Davis and freshmen defensive linemen Curtis Chance and Dorrean James were arrested in Ybor City, Fla.

7-12-2004, 3 USF players arrested for possesion of marajuana. link here.

7-12-2004, Maimi CB Antrel Rolle charged with felony count of battery on a police officer with 2 misdemeanors, including resisting an officer without violence and disorderly conduct. This from a guy who would have probably been a 1st round pick in the NFL had he left school. Link here.

7-12-2004, Clemson DL Chris McDuffie gets arrested on drug charges. story here.

7-11-2004, FSU starting OL Bobby Meeks, charged with battery, resisting arrest w/violence. Had to use pepper spray and stun guns outside a night club. Link here.

7-10-2004 UVA's leading WR will be out for the season. Some academic problems combined with a little assualt-and-battery is not a good combination. Story here

7-9-2004, Oklahoma OL Adam Gourley suspended indefinitely after an arrest for assault with a dangerous weapon. Link here. Update here.

7-9-2004, LaSalle hoops player Gary Neal and Michael Cleaves arrested for an alleged sexual assault against a member of the women's team. Coaches for both the mens and womens teams have been suspended. Link here.

7-8-2004, Cincinatte head coach Bob Huggins arrested for drunken driving. Link here.

7-8-2004, Villinova men's hoops team placed on 2-year probation for violations. Link here.

7-8-2004, Air Force players Matt Ward and Overton Spence charged with using steroids and suspended from the team. Link here.

7-8-2004, Florida A&M stripped of 2 football titles and 9 other championships for 196 NCAA rule voilations. Link here.

7-6-2004, Miami's highly touted recruit Willie Williams placed on probation for 3 years for what - violating probation!! What a concept. This is a kid who has been arrested 10 times in 5 years. The new charges stem from multiple incidents on his official visit to UofFL, where he set off fire extinguishers, fondled a co-ed and punched out a guy at a nightclub. Miami is trying to play the role of saint by trying to convince everyone that they are just trying to give a kid a chance to have a better life. No doubt if he wasn't the #2 ranked high school player IN THE COUNTRY he probably wouldn't get this consideration. The only difference now is that they are not waiting until players cause trouble while they are students - they are recruiting the ones that are already hardened criminals..... What the judges say. By the way... the judge is a U of Miami graduate - no kidding.

7-6-2004, Memphis football players Derron Parquet, 22, and LaVale Washington, 21 were charged with arson for burning a sport utility vehicle - link here.

7-6-2004, FIU player Everett Baker pistol-whipped another student during an on-campus robbery attempt, then shot at them when they tried to get away. Baker is being charged with attempted murder, 2 counts of armed robbery, possesion of a weapon on school grounds, and 2 counts of aggrevated assault with a deadly weapon. Two other players, Randy Arnold and Daimos DeMerritt were also charged with 6 felonies. Link here.

7-2-2004, VaTech's Marcus Vick arrested for reckless driving and possesion of marajuana, then suspended from the team. This is the same guy who was arrested 6 months ago for 3 misdemeanors revolving around a drinking party with three underage girls.... Story on poor way the school handled the situation....... How about this quote from si.com - "The Hokies have put Vick on "indefinite suspension," which is big-time program code for "he's out until we have a big conference game."

7-2-2004, Florida A&M player Paul Johnson arrested for DUI after police found him passed out in a car. Link here

7-2-2004, More than half a dozen Colorado football players appear in court in front of a grand jury investigating a major recruiting scandal that includes trips to strip clubs, allegations of rape, financial impropriety, illegal recruiting tactics and so much more. Link here.

7-2-2004, LSU DT Melvin Oliver placed under a restraining order after being charged for attacking his former girlfriend. Link here.