Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Tribute to the Texas Longhorns

As a tribute to the Texas Longhorns, the Criminal Athletes blog has converted our colors from Black to UT Burnt Orange.



Yet another Longhorn was arrested today bringing the total to 6 since June. Which by the way, is two more then Colt McCoy has touchdown passes and two more then the entire team has rushing touchdowns. Give the Horns credit though, they have played powerhouses like Arkansas State and Central Florida.

Mack Brown had this to say about the situation:

"I am really proud of the Texas football program and all it has stood for during our 10 years in Austin," Brown said in his statement. "We've built a great program within the rules with a foundation of integrity, hard work, academic commitment and winning. We unfortunately had a number of student-athletes who have been accused of making poor decisions this past summer, with James' situation joining that group.

"Young people who do not obey the law, University or team rules will continue to be disciplined with a stern hand and we will move forward. We continue to have a zero tolerance policy in that regard. That said, I will put our long-term record of character up against anyone and that's why these situations upset me so much."

Let's review the Longhorns legal problems.

James Henry - Obstruction, Suspended indefinitely - RB with no carries in the first 3 games.

Tyrell Gatewood - Drugs, Suspended indefinitely - DB with 2 tackles in 2 games this year and a total of 12 tackles all of 2006.

Dre Jones - Aggravated Robbery, Suspended indefinitely - True Freshman, not expected to contribute.

Robert Joseph - Aggravated Robbery, Suspended indefinately - Has left the team because of an earlier incident.

Sergio Kindle - DUI, 3 Game Suspension - Recorded 21 tackles and 4 tackles for a loss in 2006, expected to compete for a starting position.

Henry Melton - DUI, 3 Game Suspension - Converted from RB and was expected to start in 2007.

So let's recap the situation... three players that probably would not have contributed to the team this year are suspended indefinitly, two probable starters are both suspended for three cupcake games. So much for Mack's "Zero Tolerance" policy.

6th Longhorn Arrested Since June


Texas freshman running back James Henry has been charged with two felony counts of obstruction and tampering with evidence, making him the sixth Longhorns player arrested since June.

Henry, who was arrested Monday, is accused of beating up one of the victims of a July home invasion that allegedly involved two other players, Andre Jones and Robert Joseph.

Henry was booked into Travis County Jail where his bail was set at $30,000. He was suspended indefinitely from the team, coach Mack Brown said Tuesday.

Henry, who redshirted last season, has played in two games on special teams for the No. 7 Longhorns (3-0).

Austin police learned of Henry's involvement by listening to taped recordings of Joseph's phone calls from jail, said Det. Anthony Bigongiari.

During the investigation of the robbery, one of the victims told police that some of Joseph's friends had assaulted them. In one of the taped phone calls, Henry said he "went over there and whupped" one of the victims, who told police they were thrown on the ground and punching and kicked in the head several times, Bigongiari said.

Henry, who did not participate in the robbery, was charged with tampering because police believe he disposed of a backpack containing items stolen in the home invasion, Bigongiari said.
Police also charged a third person, Eddie Ramirez, who is not a football player, with threatening the victims.

Brown said Henry would have been suspended earlier if the team had known the latest allegations.

"It's unfortunate that we have just been informed of the situation or we would have been able to address it when it allegedly occurred in July," Brown said.

Henry's arrest is the latest trouble for a program reeling under a string of arrests. On Monday, Brown reinstated linebacker Sergio Kindle and defensive end Henry Melton, who had been suspended for the first three games because of drunken driving arrests over the summer.
Last week, senior safety Tyrell Gatewood was suspended indefinitely after his arrest on drug charges. Freshman defensive back Ben Wells, who was riding with Gatewood when he was pulled over, was given a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia and released.
Jones remains suspended from the team. Joseph had already left the team before his July arrest because of an earlier incident.

Brown said he is disappointed that the arrests have embarrassed the program but challenged the notion that Texas is riddled with problems.

"Young people who do not obey the law, university or team rules will continue to be disciplined with a stern hand and we will move forward. We continue to have a zero tolerance policy in that regard," Brown said. "I will put our long-term record of character up against anyone, and that's why these situations upset me so much."