Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Six Kansas players went to The Cave a couple of Saturdays ago.
Two of them — Conner Teahan and Marcus Morris — have never had serious trouble with the law.
Three others — Markieff Morris, Brady Morningstar and Mario Little — had been arrested in their time at Kansas. Morris faced a battery charge in his freshman year after shooting a woman from his Jayhawker Towers dorm room with an Airsoft gun. In December 2010, Little faced a battery charge for an altercation with his ex-girlfriend and a member of the Kansas baseball team. Morningstar was cited for driving under the influence in October of 2009.
The sixth player, sophomore forward Thomas Robinson, who is essential to the immediate future of the Kansas program, would face his first battery charge by the end of the night.
National headlines have been dominated recently by recruiting violations and botched amateurism. But who is hurt by that? Who is the victim? What does it matter if Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor earned a little money on the side by selling his jersey? What is the value of amateurism? There isn’t one. Those aren’t real issues. Not in my book.
When the biggest surprise about a Saturday night arrest is that the point guard wasn’t there, that’s an issue. A DUI is an issue. A pair of on-campus fights with members of the football team is an issue. Three different battery charges are issues.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, it’s because I’m desperately turning a blind eye because, hey, these guys are world-class athletes, and they sure do win a lot of basketball games.
It is past time to shine a harsh and unforgiving light on the Kansas basketball program and the real and numerous problems that have been haunting it over the last few years.
Start six years ago, when J.R. Giddens was stabbed in a 2005 fight that witnesses said he instigated. C.J. Giles, who was there at the Giddens stabbing, was arrested for battery in 2006. Sherron Collins was charged with sexual assault, though the charges were dropped when Collins filed a counterclaim for defamation. Then there was Markieff Morris’ battery charge. Morningstar’s DUI. Fights with the football team, highlighted by Tyshawn Taylor’s injury and Facebook posts. Little’s battery charge. And now Robinson’s.
If you want to criticize Kansas coach Bill Self, don’t do it over tournament losses. Criticize him for the rap sheet his program has accumulated over his tenure.
This isn’t to say these are all bad kids. The Morris twins have grown into quality young men since coming to Kansas and Robinson has been through more crap than anyone could be reasonably expected to handle over the last few months. And Self is by no means an evil tyrant. He genuinely cares about the off-court development of his players, and has sent off guys — namely Giles and Giddens — who were a real detriment to the program.
But the problem clearly hasn’t been addressed in full, and it needs to be. Forget, for a moment, wins and losses, and look at that list. Forget that you’re a Jayhawk fan, and tell me if you would root for that team.
Pretty tough, isn’t it?
— Edited by Brittany Nelson
Giddens charged with battery
Athletics Department takes a stab
Morningstar enters diversion agreement
The basketball player agrees to pay fine, take drug tests.
Giddens pleads not guilty to battery charges
Thomas Robinson cited for misdemeanor battery
Robinson, 20, was issued the citation after an incident at The Cave ...
Mario Little suspended indefinitely after arrest
Senior forward Mario Little was arrested Thursday on suspicion of criminal trespassing, ...
DUI check lane part of statewide initiative
Program draws attention to the scope of drunk driving issues in Kansas.
DUI consequences far-reaching, arrests down
Lawrence DUI arrests have dropped 30 percent since 2003. One student says ...
Mario Little cleared for competition
Senior forward Little has missed six games since his arrest.
Serious Intent
Kansas City Star: Giddens instigated fight
Moore: Departed players helped today’s roster
Players leaving may not always make sense but in some cases, it ...
NEW: Giles transfers to Oregon State
Giles was kicked off the Kansas men's last fall, but has joined ...
Giddens heads to New Mexico
Giddens leaving University
Lawrence police complete Moon Bar investigation
Investigation continues into May nightclub altercation involving ...
Cosby: Domestic violence laws inconsistent
Punishments may not necessarily fit the crime.
Rothman: The legacy of Morningstar and Reed
These players shouldn’t be remembered for their performance on Sunday.
Jeremiah Creswell faces assault charges unrelated to ...
Malicious Intimacy
Four students' experiences with domestic violence.
Little retains passion despite adversity
From promising recruit to backstage senior, Little has weathered a challenging career.
Suspect arrested in campus robbery
Other individual still wanted for robbery, battery and intimidation of a witness.
No. 3 Kansas moves to 4-0 in ...
Jayhawks keep perfect conference record alive with a 23-point drubbing of Iowa ...
Morningstar arrested for suspicion of DWI
The junior guard was released early Saturday morning.
Kansas State fan bus driver improperly licensed ...
The driver of the Cat Tracker fan bus did not have the ...
Editorial Board: Celebrity justice not a good ...
Recent celeb arrests give false portrayal of justice system
Rains: KU needs return to prominence
Negative news surrounding the Kansas Athletics Department has made being a Jayhawk ...
Jayhawks make quick work of Iowa State, ...
The Morris twins shine again, combining for 30 points and 22 rebounds.
Buford enters diversion agreement
Junior guard will pay $802 in fees and court costs.
Sorrentino: Giles hasn't earned starting spot
Giles biggest of big men
Kansas running back dismissed from team after ...
Kansas, Robinson are elite in win against ...
Thomas Robinson's 12 points and 14 rebounds off the bench help Kansas ...
No. 2 Kansas victorious in overtime against ...
Marcus Morris fouled out with five minutes left as the Wildcats tied ...
Local bar owner charged with illegal alcohol ...
Man reportedly invades sleeping neighbor’s home, bed
Lawrence police arrest man for allegedly entering a woman’s bedroom and climbing ...
Jayhawks dedicate victory to Robinson
Donning a black patch with the initials of Lisa Robinson, the Jayhawks ...
Second man appears in court in connection ...
Derek Foster, 24, is charged with three counts of aggravated battery.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
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Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
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Armed robbers continue to threaten.
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Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
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Comments
Dwyer: Kansas rap sheet too long to ignore
As fans are we happy when we hear the kids on the team are in trouble? No, but that doesn't mean we don't support the coaches and players. So, the answer to your question is no. It's not tough to root for this team. Hopefully Thomas will learn a lesson and stay out of trouble. And I must add that after reading about the incident I would bet had TRob not been a basketball player there would have been no charges filed.
Dwyer: Kansas rap sheet too long to ignore
Before one pulls the trigger with a story like this they really should investigate the situations rather than react to a series of media reports. We all know how the media tends to accentuate the negative, after all. I don't think any of us are happy about these situations but this is not enough to condemn the kids, the coaching staff, or the program. When a kid is is a repetitive offender he's gone, a la Giddens and Giles, despite their athletic abilities and potential.
Dwyer: Kansas rap sheet too long to ignore
C'mon man.... Are you even a Kansas fan?? Sure all of this negative publicity has been trying but you are talking about completely different instances.
First off, The Giddens thing wasn't even Bill's team, I know he was the coach but not his players.
Then Collins?? The charges were dropped, so act like it never happened. If there was proof then she would have continued the law suit.
Then kief with the airsoft gun, this is a perfect example of a young kid acting like a young kid.
Brady, he was arrested for suspicion of DUI, he didn't blow over the legal limit in kansas and now DWI was issued. plus he paid his price for that, he sat an entire semester. Notable the football basketball fight was really bad. This was a perfect example of basketball is king and football will always be smaller on campus. Football wins a BCS Orange Bowl, and basketball responds with a national title. And if i remember right, it was an argument over a girl. Boys will be boys. Then there is mario little's bad night. The media made this sound way worse than it really was. he caught his girl in bed with another guy and lost his temper, who wouldn't? And he got smeared with a bunch of charges for pushing his gf, punching the guy, and breaking something in the moment.
Most of which happened before T-rob was even on campus. Now for starters I dont even know why he was at the cave, being a 21 to enter bar, but he didn't instigate the fight. A friend hit a bouncer and was struck back, Robinson went to break it up then "got mad" according to the bouncer... does that sound sketchy to anyone else? I'd be willing to bet something like a racial slur was uttered. since after he spoke to police THAT NIGHT, then called Bill at 3 in the morning to tell him, i'd be willing to bet that most of this is BS.
Also, a final note, if I had punched a bouncer at the cave, or a guy that was with my gf, then there is no way that a police report is filed. Period.
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