Oregon Ducks: The Soap Opera. Racism, Theft, Assault, Revenge And So Much More!
ShareThis| Written by Jp14 | February 21st, 2010
We are witnessing a meltdown the likes of which we haven’t seen in a very long time. A true combination of crime, racism, beat downs, theft, domestic violence with some drunk driving sprinkled on top, all of which have taken place in the last 4 weeks.
Let’s not forget this is the same Oregon team that started off last season with a loss to Boise State followed by a brawl in which the star running back tried to take on the entire crowd. He was suspended for the season, but was naturally allowed to return. It sure looks like the team has learned their lesson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_u1mEFsxfw&feature=player_embeddedAnother astounding thing about this soap opera is that it features some of the program’s biggest stars. They’ve definitely got the off-the-field lifestyle of an NFL player down pat.
The run down is staggering. Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who stated recently he was not going to follow his kids around all weekend, needs to establish some institutional control immediately before the wheels completely fall off. The Ducks have had at least five incidents that involve the police since late January.
January 24
Kicker Mike Bowlin gets into an altercation in which he loses. He goes back to his bed, not knowing that teammate Rob Beard stepped into a brawl that was about 20 people deep.
Beard gets beat unconscious, having his head kicked repeatedly — requiring some facial reconstruction surgery.
January 25
In what was essentially the same night, just a little later, starting quarterback, Jeremy Masoli and wide receiver Garrett Embry were accused in a police report statement given by Fraternity member Max Wolfard, that they stole valuable items from the fraternity house. The items included two laptops and an expensive guitar.
“The minute I stepped on the staircase I said to myself, ‘Wow, Masoli and Embry are in our house right now,” Wolfard told The Oregonian on Sunday afternoon. “Masoli has a very distinctive face, very distinctive facial hair — not to mention I see him on TV all the time.”
According to Oregonlive.com, Wolfard said the two players then ran out the back door. After a chase, Wolfard says Embry stopped running, gave him the projector and said, “You’ve got it back, now you better get out of here.”
Also it must be noted that Wolfard referred to the football players as ‘fucking hoodrats.’
No one has been charged in the the theft.
February 1
A few days later, walk-on defensive end Matt Simms, gets the idea that he’s going to take justice into his own hands. He think he knows who beat up his friend, Rob Beard, and he intends to do something about it. Simms gets charged with assault for punching a man and beating him. He was kicked off the team.
February 16
A whopping two weeks went by without incident. Starting running back LaMichael James broke the silence by getting arrested for domestic violence. He was charged with one strangulation charge, 2 counts physical harassment and 2 counts of assault.
According to the police report, he grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground in a parking lot, which resulted in abrasions and pain in her neck.
February 18
LaMichael James gets out of jail. Rob Beard, the kicker who was beat down earlier, pleads not guilty to assaulting a woman during the aforementioned altercation. Ouch.
February 20
Head coach Chip Kelly holds a press conference to address the off-field transgressions. He states among other things, ”If a player doesn’t live up to the standards we have for the football program, then they’re not going to be here. But I’m also not going to follow our kids around every Friday or Saturday night so I can see what happened to them.”
February 21
Hours after the above press conference, linebacker Kiko Alonso was arrested for drunk driving. A DUI is bad enough, but he is 19. He faces a total of five charges.
It can be assumed that an announcement was made to the team the Alonso had been kicked off the team because teammate Jamere Holland took his beef to Facebook. According to his Facebook page (his public Facebook page) Alonso was kicked off the team.
Holland apparently takes exception to his coach’s decision and posts his thoughts on Facebook in an expletive ravaged post that would fit right in on our site.
He wasn’t done.
He must have gotten some backlash from his posts because he later expresses his desire to block white people from reading his posts. L.A. Hampton agrees.
It must be noted that Holland’s comments are racist. In the simplest form.
Holland has been dismissed from the team.
What will tomorrow bring? This team has gone from Pac-10 champion to Soap Opera of the NCAA off-season in the blink of an eye. Chip Kelly needs to do something quick, because this team in melting down. They are very quickly becoming the Bengals of the NCAA.
Oregon University President Richard Lariviere had this to say on Sunday:
“The University of Oregon has clear expectations of how its student athletes are to behave both on and off the field of play. Lately, several of our athletes have fallen far short of these standards. This is simply unacceptable.
The University of Oregon does not tolerate inappropriate conduct from any of its students. I know Athletics Director Mike Bellotti and Head Coach Chip Kelly share my concern about recent events involving UO players and are working hard to address these incidents. I have every confidence that they will restore the UO athletic program’s long and proud tradition of sportsmanship and integrity. Our loyal fans and alumni expect no less and neither do I.
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