Thug Factor Update

1	Ohio University	32
2	UNLV	15
3	Virginia Tech	13
T4	Colorado State	9
T4	Tennessee	9
T4	Texas Tech	9
T7	Washington	7
T7	South Carolina	7
T9	Louisville	6
T9	Maryland	6
T9	Michigan State	6
T9	Texas	6
T9	Michigan	6
T9	Idaho	6
T9	Hawaii	6
T9	Illinios	6
T17	MTSU	4
T17	USC	4
T19	Iowa	3
T19	Kansas	3
T19	Northern Colorado	3
T19	San Jose State	3
T19	Uconn	3
T19	North Carolina	3
T19	Arkansas	3
T26	Auburn	1
T26	Kansas State	1
T26	Marshall	1
T26	Utah	1

Schools debate merit of establishing specific code of conducts to deal with serious offenses for athletes

A great article that can be found here... The Daily Orange

By: Matt Gelb
Posted: 9/26/06If it were up to him, Bobby Bowden wouldn't suspend any of his players, no matter the crime. "If a kid makes a mistake, we don't have to kick him off the team," Bowden said to reporters seven years ago, before the 1999 national championship game. "There's a lot of ways to punish him. I ain't cutting my nose off to spite my face."Earlier that season, star wideout Peter Warrick was suspended by the Florida State administration for his involvement in a shoplifting scheme. Warrick was charged with grand theft. The penalty handed down by the school: two games. Warrick was in contention for the Heisman Trophy and a valuable part of Bowden's run to the national championship. Warrick's partner in crime, Laveranues Coles, was kicked out of school. The uproar was swift and animated. Why was Coles-who had 12 receptions for 179 yards and one touchdown-kicked off the team while Warrick, the star of the team with four touchdowns and more than 500 yards receiving, slapped on the wrist?"It's not like I killed the president," Warrick infamously said to reporters after Bowden and FSU came under fire. The truth is the NCAA has no say over the policies of its member institutions when it comes to dealing with infringements of the law. The NCAA does have strict bylaws regarding recruiting, amateurism and academic standards, but when an athlete breaks the law, there is no uniformity among member schools because the institutions cannot agree on a consensus. And that's the way it will stay-perhaps forever."All of our current rules are bylaws decided by member institutions," said Stacey Osburn, spokesperson for the NCAA. "It will stay that way as long as possible. We do not have a bylaw for legal matters."So instead, schools are developing their own code of conducts for student-athletes, a process that has demonstrated the wide range of philosophies among NCAA schools. "The ones that are running wild have so much to learn from the ones who are doing it well," said George Gardener, director of strategic communications at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University. "The key is to be a school that is willing to stand behind its policies and implement the penalties."At Syracuse, the athletic department works closely with judicial affairs, but has its own discipline policy in addition to any punishment handed down by the university. "If there is a university sanction, the athletic department will get involved with the coach," said Rob Edson, senior associate director of athletics. "We have an umbrella policy for athletes, but the guidelines revolve around internal student affairs."Edson says punishments are handled on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the level of the offense, coaches and department members will make a decision based on the university's findings. Athletes receive discipline from not only the university, but also the athletic department. However, the athletic department's punishment can be altered."The coach always has the option to supersede the department," Edson said. "If the coach feels the conduct was especially detrimental to the team, they can suspend the player for longer or institute a stricter penalty."Although coaches are directly involved in the discipline process, Edson said the athletic department guidelines are installed exactly for that reason-to make sure every team follows the same principles.Orange linebacker Kelvin Smith, who has played under two coaches at SU, said the culture can vary depending on the coach. "It's more like (Greg Robinson) treats us like adults, like NFL athletes," Smith said. "That gives us more of a sense to act like adults. (Former head coach Paul Pasqualoni) put his foot down. He said 'Don't do anything at all, don't think about it.'"Former SU safety Diamond Ferri was arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest on May 22, 2004. He was not suspended by the school or the team. Defensive tackle Eugene Brown was arrested March 27, 2005, after a fight on Marshall Street. He was charged with second-degree assault, a felony in the state of New York. Brown was immediately suspended from the university and football team indefinitely. Two weeks later, Brown was reinstated by Syracuse and was attending classes. Brown played in five games in 2005. Florida State's policy on felony charges is a suspension until the charges are resolved. Warrick was originally charged with a felony but pleaded down to a misdemeanor. Under FSU's policy, Warrick's penalty was ultimately Bowden's call-a decision many believe was made based on football priorities first. But Bowden isn't the only one who refuses to sacrifice wins for discipline. Before the 2006 season started, Alabama linebacker Juwan Simpson was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and a stolen shotgun. Simpson reached a plea agreement, confessing to the charges before the season started. But he avoided a suspension from head coach Mike Shula and was in the lineup against Hawaii for the Crimson Tide's opener. The backlash against Shula was extensive. A columnist for the Mobile (Al.) Register said Shula's double standards had "Bear Bryant rolling over in his grave."Initially, Shula had not planned on suspending Simpson. After public outcry, Shula changed his stance, saying his rationale was to spread the suspensions of seven players who breached team discipline standards over the first three games of the season. The players would serve their suspensions in the order they broke the rules. He said it wouldn't be fair to the team to suspend all seven players for one game. "These should be areas where people defer to the code of conduct," Gardener said. "He shouldn't have to run around asking, 'What do I do? What do I do?' He's got an agreement that says what happened when player X does Y."Shula suspended Simpson, the leading tackler on the team, for the third game of the season, against Louisiana-Monroe two weekends ago. The Crimson Tide won, 41-7. The combined margin of victory for its first two games of the season was 11 points. According to the Alabama athletics compliance department, there is no separate code of conduct for student-athletes. Alabama athletes are only held to the standards of the regular student conduct codes. However, many athletic departments around the nation are adopting conduct codes with blanket punishment standards in order to eliminate the variability of dealing with violations on a case-by-case basis-and to avoid the criticisms Shula faced. Wisconsin, for example, introduced a policy in 2003-since revised to include alternative forms of punishment-that eliminates coaches from the discipline equation. Any player charged or arrested for a serious crime is immediately suspended from all team activities. "The responsibility of the coach is to take care of the daily issues of the players," said Shawn Eichorst, senior director of athletics at Wisconsin. "We delegate to them the ability to handle the student-athletes, but with criminal conduct, that's the department's responsibility."Bowden and Shula probably wouldn't react so kindly to a similar policy at their respective schools. "We want to treat all of our student-athletes consistently," Eichorst said. "It's difficult to treat them consistently when you have different sets of coaches chiming in. We've done this by minimizing the potential for conflict of interest."The old policy was tested by former UW running back Booker Stanley. A backup and highly touted recruit, Stanley was suspended immediately after he was charged with sexually assaulting a former girlfriend on Dec. 21, 2005. He missed the Badgers' Capital One Bowl victory over Auburn and was kicked off the team two months later. "In the old policy we would just suspend them," Eichorst said. "Now we're going to embark upon a fact-finding mission to find out what happened and go from there."The University of Maine established a point system to dish out punishment to its athletes. Violations are assessed a point value, generally between one and five, with one being the least offensive. Once an athlete accumulates five points, they are suspended for 10 percent of his or her team's schedule. The suspensions increase as the points stack up. "A lot of it is set in stone," said Brett Williamson, assistant athletics director at Maine. "It takes the ambiguity out of it. If a swimmer has a DUI, they are treated the same way as a football player would."But the reality is that college football players around the country are not treated identically to other athletes. While Gardener understands the NCAA is trapped in a hard spot and there is no scenario in which they could oversee a punishment policy, he still thinks they should act. "What the NCAA can do is help the schools identify the code of conduct," Gardener said. "Offer schools a set of best practices to create codes of conduct. The NCAA could provide great guidance."

Athletes Crimes of Choice

It appears as though Assault is the crime of choice for Criminal Athletes. Grabbing a demanding 47% of the crimes reported on Criminalathletes.blogspot.com. Robbery came in a distant second with nearly 26%.

Below is how the charges against our heros of the grid iron breakdown...

Illinois players kicked off team

University of Illinois football players Jody Ellis and Derrick McPhearson -- accused of stealing wallets, cell phones and laptop computers -- were kicked off the team Monday just hours after pleading not guilty to felony burglary and theft charges.
"This kind of behavior will not be tolerated. It is not only disrespectful to this football team, but to the University of Illinois, as well," football coach Ron Zook said in a written statement.
"We will act right and we will obey the law. Period."
The two wide receivers were arrested Friday night after police found suspected stolen wallets, cell phones, electronic devices and at least six laptop computers inside Ellis' car, Champaign police Chief R.T. Finney said Monday.
Ellis and McPhearson, both 20, pleaded not guilty to four counts each of residential burglary and two counts each of theft of property and requested jury trials.
After hearing the players' pleas, Champaign County Circuit Court Judge John R. Kennedy set a pretrial hearing for April 10.
Ellis and McPhearson were arrested after allegedly driving away from the scene of a minor accident in Ellis' 1995 Honda Accord. The accident with another vehicle occurred shortly after 8 p.m. at an intersection near the University of Illinois campus, Finney said. Police pulled over Ellis' Honda 10 minutes later.
"Shortly thereafter the officers began to find items in the car that didn't belong to them," in the car's interior and in the trunk, Finney said. "There were wallets and IDs belonging to other people."
State's Attorney Julia Rietz said the items were taken from four Champaign residences in and around campus on Friday, during what's called unofficial St. Patrick's Day. The event is a promotion begun by local bars to make up for revenue they lose when St. Patrick's Day falls during the university's spring break.
Rietz said it appeared that most victims had left their doors unlocked.
"I think (Ellis and McPhearson) might have been taking advantage of people who were not (cautious) on unofficial St. Patrick's Day," Rietz said, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
Ellis, from Evanston, and McPhearson, from Hyattsville, Md., each posted $2,500 bail and were released from Champaign County Jail Sunday afternoon.
Both played in all 12 Illini games in 2006, their sophomore season, and were expected to compete for playing time next season.
The arrests are the latest in a series of recent legal run-ins for Illini athletes.
Basketball player Rich McBride on Thursday pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and is scheduled to be sentenced May 1. The 6-foot-3 senior guard was arrested on Sept. 29 in Savoy, a small town just south of Champaign, and is scheduled to be sentenced May 1.
He was suspended for four regular-season games after the arrest and will face no further discipline, school officials have said.
Sophomore guard Jamar Smith pleaded not guilty last month to charges that he left the scene of the accident and drove while intoxicated during a Feb. 12 accident that left teammate Brian Carlwell hospitalized for four days with a severe concussion.
He will not play again this season.
Athletic director Ron Guenther said the past few weeks have been difficult for the university's athletics programs, adding that removing Ellis and McPhearson from the football team was the right thing to do.
"We have set a high standard for student-athlete behavior, and it should be," Guenther said. "Our kids get a tremendous amount of support from all areas of the department. Therefore after reviewing this incident, it was in the best interest of both parties that the athletes be dismissed and their scholarships not renewed."

UH Football Player Arrested for Abuse

University of Hawaii football player Keenan Jones was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony abuse and kidnapping after a domestic disturbance at his Manoa apartment. The incident happened just hours after the defensive back was suspended from the football team for breaking team rules.
According to police, Jones and his live-in girlfriend got into a heated argument at their Dole street apartment which quickly escalated to physical confrontation. In a statement, the woman alleges Jones punched and kicked her and prevented her from leaving the couple's apartment.
The 21-year old is a junior-college transfer who was on the Warriors' roster last season but did not play.
UH coach June Jones declined comment on the situation until the investigation is complete.

Thug Factor Update

Ohio University - 32
UNLV - 15
Virginia Tech - 13
Colorado State - 9
Tennessee - 9
Texas Tech - 9
Washington - 7
Louisville - 6
Maryland - 6
Michigan State - 6
Texas - 6
Michigan - 6
Idaho - 6
MTSU - 4
USC - 4
South Carolina - 4
Iowa - 3
Kansas - 3
Northern Colorado - 3
San Jose State - 3
Uconn - 3
North Carolina - 3
Arkansas - 3
Auburn - 1
Kansas State - 1
Marshall - 1
Utah - 1

Idaho player arrested for investigation of armed robbery, battery

A University of Idaho football player faces possible felony armed robbery and battery charges after his arrest early Friday, police said.
Tone Taupule, a 22-year-old safety, was arrested about 4:30 a.m. in Moscow after a resident was robbed and pistol-whipped in his home. Taupule, a senior, made an initial appearance in district court, where bail was set at $100,000 and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 22.
Assistant Moscow Police Chief David Duke said police received a call from Gritman Memorial Hospital, where the victim was being treated for a head wound. The victim told police a man was inside his apartment when he returned home and brandished a semiautomatic pistol and forced him to give him about $1,000 from a safe. The robber then allegedly hit the man with the weapon and fled.
Police said the victim knew Taupule through another acquaintance, who provided a name. The victim picked Taupule out of a photo lineup, Duke said. Taupule was arrested at his Moscow apartment, where a search warrant produced cash, a magazine and ammunition, but no weapon, Duke said.
Taupule was booked into the Latah County Jail for investigation of felony armed robbery and aggravated battery.
Idaho sports information director Becky Paull said athletic officials had no immediate comment.
Taupule, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound transfer from Compton College in California, started all 12 games for the Vandals last season, recording 34 tackles, including 25 solo.

Utah receiver charged with drunken driving

Utah receiver Marquis Wilson was charged with drunken driving and suspended indefinitely from the team.
Wilson was pulled over on March 10 downtown and cited for making an illegal turn. Police gave Wilson sobriety test and his blood alcohol content was 0.11 percent, 0.03 above the legal limit, according to police reports.
Wilson, 20, was charged Friday with misdemeanor drunken driving, possession of alcohol by a minor.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham suspended Wilson indefinitely Monday, saying it was for a rules violation and that he hoped "it is something we can work through and get him back."
Wilson had 25 catches for 398 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Razorback defensive starter arrested on shoplifting charge

Antwain Robinson, a starter at defensive end in 13 Arkansas football games last season, was arrested Sunday on a shoplifting charge, according to authorities in Washington County.
Robinson, 20, was detained Sunday afternoon by security personnel at a Dillard's store in the Northwest Arkansas Mall at Fayetteville, according to Sgt. Dominic Swanfeld of the Fayetteville Police Department. Swanfeld said Dillard's notified the police department, and officers went to the store and took Robinson into custody, "based on their (security guards') sworn statement," Swanfeld said. "I don't have any idea at this time" what Robinson was accused of taking, Swanfeld said Sunday evening.
The Fayetteville officers took Robinson to the Washington County Jail at Fayetteville, Swanfeld said.
A spokesman at the jail who declined to give his name said Robinson was freed Sunday evening on $550 bond.
Kevin Trainor, sports information director for the Razorbacks, said football coach Houston Nutt was out of town during the school's spring break and unreachable for comment.
Robinson, listed as 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds on the Razorbacks' roster, was ranked fifth on the team in tackles last season, with a total of 68 -- 44 solo and 24 assists. His tackles included 14 1/2 for lost yardage, costing opponents a total of 86 lost yards, ranking him second in that category.

Michigan starter accused of St. Patrick's Day attack

Two Michigan football players were arraigned Wednesday on assault charges after police say they attacked a fellow student in a residence hall on St. Patrick's Day.
Carson Butler, 19, of Detroit, and Christian Richards III, 19, of Pacoima, Calif., are charged with one count each of aggravated assault, and assault and battery, said campus police spokeswoman Diane Brown. The aggravated assault charge is a one-year misdemeanor, while the assault and battery charge is a 93-day misdemeanor.
The players, both sophomores, were arraigned in Washtenaw District Court and released on $5,000 personal bonds pending a March 27 pretrial hearing, Brown said.
A 20-year-old Michigan student told campus police he was repeatedly punched about 6 p.m. Saturday in an acquaintance's dorm room, Brown said. The victim told police his attackers already were in the room when he arrived and that he did not know why he was assaulted, she said.
Brown said a fourth student in the room was not attacked and did not take part in the assault.
Police were called to the room, and the victim was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital emergency room where he was treated and released, police said.
School spokesman David Ablauf had no immediate comment on the arrests.
Butler, a tight end, started seven games for Michigan last season and caught 19 passes. Coach Lloyd Carr said last week Butler would not be with the team during spring drills, which began Saturday and end April 14.
Richards, a reserve defensive back, had five tackles last year.
In addition to the charges stemming from Saturday's incident, Richards has another case pending. He was charged with illegal entry on campus last year, The Ann Arbor News reported.
Richards failed to appear for his arraignment on that charge, and a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest.