Royce White charged

Donate To GopherHole
R

Runext07

Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
143
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Saw this article in the Pioneer Press by Marcus Fuller:

Royce White on the bench for Michigan St. game
By Marcus Fuller on January 23, 2010 11:05 AM | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks
"Gophers freshman forward Royce White is still suspended, but he joined his teammates on the bench today against Michigan State.
White was in a suit and tie along with suspended junior Trevor Mbakwe and Al Nolen, who is academically ineligible for the second semester, pending an NCAA waiver request.
Despite being charged with three counts of trespass Friday in connection to a stolen laptop case on campus, White started practicing with the team this week for the first time this season.
Both Gophers coach Tubby Smith and athletics director Joel Maturi said White earned his right to rejoin the team by doing well in school and handling himself well while he was away.
Could this be a sign that White has done enough to play soon, especially with his charges being only misdemeanors? The Gophers sure could use him."

White was charged with 3 counts of trespassing, a misdemeanor, according to Marcus Fuller. White will gladly plead guilty to one of the counts I 'm betting. This is basically like what White pled guilty to at the Mall of America when he was charged with the assault.....a watered down charge.

I have lost respect for Maturi and Tubby by their handling of Royce's situation. Would the situation have been handled differently had it been Dawson? Royce is a criminal and is far from a role model for our younger fans. Royce knows the difference between right and wrong and as long as student athletes can break the laws that the majority of citizens believe in, they will continue to break these laws. What happen to the notion of people being held accountable for their own actions? Mr Maturi and Mr Smith, your allowing White to continue on our basketball team is appalling. What are we continuing to teach our children?

It's a sad reality that AD's and coaches keep allowing this type of criminal behavior so that their teams can win. Why does the President of the U allow criminals to play for our basketball team? Because the men's basketball team is a big money business and it is all about winning at whatever the cost.
 

Um...welcome to 2 days ago? There are already literally 5 different threads on this very topic.
 

20 game suspension to date for a petty misdemeanor charge.
 

My bad I haven't been around for a few days and missed it.
 

Gold Vision said:
20 game suspension to date for a petty misdemeanor charge.
Click to expand...

I guess I was just brought up differently. I was taught not to steal. I didn't know it was ok as long as it was a petty misdemeanor amount. Royce is an adult not a child. And does the 20 game suspension also enough for the trespass charge?
 


Charge with three counts?

My the prosecutor has taken half the season, put White in Limbo, and this is all they got? Three treaspassing charges? The headlines, the speculation, the outrage, and the ongoing investigation. Certainly, it will be very difficult to prove the charges. And it begs for a plea. I am not sure of White's legal team, but I would file for dismissal of the charges. And if a plea is offered, certainly the time has been served.
 

Runext07 said:
I guess I was just brought up differently. I was taught not to steal. I didn't know it was ok as long as it was a petty misdemeanor amount. Royce is an adult not a child. And does the 20 game suspension also enough for the trespass charge?
Click to expand...

Do you honestly think he deserves a longer suspension because he opened a couple doors and introduced himself? Really? If that's a crime then half the population should be in prison.
 

Runext07 said:
I guess I was just brought up differently. I was taught not to steal. I didn't know it was ok as long as it was a petty misdemeanor amount. Royce is an adult not a child. And does the 20 game suspension also enough for the trespass charge?
Click to expand...

It wasn't ok, that's why he was suspended indefinitely for over the half the season. We don't even know if he'll play this year, he just started practicing last week after finishing a good semester in the classroom. I guess you disagree with the severity of the punishment, but I think you're missing the big picture here with what's best for the team and Royce as a human being.

The 20 game suspension and kicking him out of practice was the reason for the "trespass charges" involved in the laptop investigation.
 

I'd like to see him back on the court for selfish reasons, but have a hard time making light of his brief resume:
-Getting kicked out of Summer program at the University
-Getting kicked out the dorms
-Shoplifting
-Knocking down a security guard
-Entering female rooms uninvited, after being told to stay out of dorms
-refusing to cooperate with investigation
-Bizarre distracting YouTube videos

Quite an imprint on the program he out together in half a year.
 



I vote no more Royce White threads/posts until there is a clear change in his status.
 


I think both extremes are off base

Gold Vision said:
20 game suspension to date for a petty misdemeanor charge.
Click to expand...
20 game suspension for whatever criteria Tubby set when White came to the program. Bear in mind that he was coming in with some baggage (the expulsion from DeLaSalle and the altercation with Damian Johnson that we know about; perhaps other issues about which we are in the dark).

White comes here and becomes embroiled in a dispute in the dorms (ostensibly for playing music too loud?) and needs to be transferred. He's then charged with two misdemeanor charges for shop lifting and 5th degree assault. He's then implicated in a theft of a laptop and being somewhere he shouldn't have been. All within his first semester and during whatever understandings he had with Tubby regarding behavior and conduct.

It's a matter of opinion whether the suspension has been too harsh but ultimately it's Tubby's decision and he's the one who has the fuller understanding of both what the expectations were and what the behavior has been. On this board we're simply reading the equivalent of tea leaves and trying to figure out what they mean.

Those who want to reinstate White (or were arguing for it earlier) seem to overlook a couple of points: Tubby has always preferred winning to losing and he's proud of his record of 20-win seasons and NCAA tournament participation. So far he's balanced those matters of preference and pride against his expectations from White and concluded that White had to sit out.

I'm willing to trust Tubby's judgment on this. Yet somehow, by not calling for an end to the suspension it makes one a racist, self-righteous (I assume that's what you meant by "ritous"), self-important, heartless and insecure. Wow.

runext07 writes:
I have lost respect for Maturi and Tubby by their handling of Royce's situation. /snip/ Mr Maturi and Mr Smith, your allowing White to continue on our basketball team is appalling. What are we continuing to teach our children?
Click to expand...
Couldn't disagree more with this opinion either. Frankly, I think both Maturi and Tubby are handling this difficult situation fairly well. Royce has received consequences for his actions through the suspension. His acting out (how I'd interpret the YouTube tapes) have been handled correctly IMO and lines of communicaiton have been maintained. He's a talented kid (although I'm not sure he's transformative) and I'm sure that's entered into it. But at the same time he's not been given a free rein and there's no doubt in my mind who the coach is and who's running the program.
 

He was kicked out of a summer program?

akgopher said:
I'd like to see him back on the court for selfish reasons, but have a hard time making light of his brief resume:
-Getting kicked out of Summer program at the University
-Getting kicked out the dorms
-Shoplifting
-Knocking down a security guard
-Entering female rooms uninvited, after being told to stay out of dorms
-refusing to cooperate with investigation
-Bizarre distracting YouTube videos

Quite an imprint on the program he out together in half a year.
Click to expand...
 




akgopher said:
I'd like to see him back on the court for selfish reasons, but have a hard time making light of his brief resume:
-Getting kicked out of Summer program at the University
-Getting kicked out the dorms
-Shoplifting
-Knocking down a security guard
-Entering female rooms uninvited, after being told to stay out of dorms
-refusing to cooperate with investigation
-Bizarre distracting YouTube videos

Quite an imprint on the program he out together in half a year.
Click to expand...


What would White's punishment be for his crimes and other bad behavior if he was just a regular first year student at the U and not a scholarship athlete who is expected to be a savior for the basketball program? I don't know but my guess is that it would have been a lot more severe than a 20 game suspension.

I don't believe for a second that Tubby's players come before his string of 20 win seasons and adding to his College Basketball Hall of Fame resume. If he reinstates White this season Tubby will prove that it is all about Tubby and that he is just as phony as most other Division I coaches. I don't trust Tubby to make the right decision regarding White. And we all know that Maturi is afraid to say boo to Tubby and risk having him leave for another job.

What really upsets me is that Bruininks has apparently not stepped in to take control of this circus. I am very disappointed in him.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
What really upsets me is that Bruininks has apparently not stepped into to take control of this circus. I am very disappointed in him.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you're advocating expulsion and would expect Bruininks to require Maturi and Smith to revoke the scholarship. But before I jump to that conclusion: is that what you're suggesting? If not, what is it you want Bruininks to direct Maturi and Smith to do? What's the correct solution in your mind?
 

Rick Mons said:
Sounds like you're advocating expulsion and would expect Bruininks to require Maturi and Smith to revoke the scholarship. But before I jump to that conclusion: is that what you're suggesting? If not, what is it you want Bruininks to direct Maturi and Smith to do? What's the correct solution in your mind?
Click to expand...

No doubt. I don't feel bad about the severity of the punishment and if law enforcement dragged it's feet after he refused to cooperate. I'd support Coach Smith regardless if he chooses to play him Tuesday, extends the suspension for the season, or if he booted him.

We don't know the whole situation with the kid. There might be some chemistry issues and if he turns it around and reveals what he was dealing with later down the road, we could wind up being ashamed about making harsh judgements on him. I trust Coach Smith, Athletic Director Maturi, and President Bruininks ability analyze the situation and to do what's best for the student and the university.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom