TENNESSEE ARMED ROBBERY ALLEGED ALLEGED
'Wild Boys' ALLEGEDLY like the guns and the money
You know the outlines of the story, so let's dive into the comments and other assorted details. Mr. Kiffin:
"Unfortunately there was an incident. We made it 11 months and 11 days without any. But we’ll deal with this as information comes in."
Ah, coach. You can surely do better than that. What about "I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and he still couldn't get an alleged felon." Notice that Boy Wonder's spin machine never takes a break, though. Just like a politician with well-prepared talking points, he knows down to the day how long the Vols went without incident under his mature leadership.
Don Bosch, Janzen Jackson's attorney:
"Mr. Jackson vehemently asserts his innocence and hopes to be able to demonstrate that in the next 24 to 48 hours," Bosch said.
That's fairly specific information there. Never set a deadline as an attorney or spokesman unless you can keep it, so there might be something to this. Keep an eye on Bosch.
The attorney for the "civilian" in this case also argues that she had "no knowledge of any of the allegations she has been charged with." If both those statements are true, then Nu'Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards are likely in deep, deep trouble. Say, why haven't we heard from the attorneys for ...
It wasn’t clear if Edwards and Richardson had attorneys. Edwards and Montmarquet were freed on bond Thursday, but Richardson remained jailed in lieu of $19,500 bond, according to a jail official.
Not good.
Kiffin: It's not a distraction to have three players charged with armed robbery
Of course, that's what a coach at any school has to say, so even Boy Wonder gets a pass on that one.
"It's got nothing to do with what's going on with these guys," Kiffin said. "We needed to have a good practice today to prepare for a big-time game, and I thought the guys came out today and had a really good practice, thought they were very sharp, very focused, good meetings, good intensity out here, but we still have a lot of work to do before the game." ...
Kiffin also didn't offer a timeframe he would work with, and technically he didn't even rule any of the three players out for the game against the Rebels.
I have to believe that's a technicality.
If you don't know them ...
A nice primer on the players and their former promise from the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Call it a 'Washaun Ealey'
His name is Corey Zickefoose, he was one of the ones that was a victim of the armed robbery allegedly committed and he -- well, I'll let him tell you.
"I think they should still be able to play football, regardless," he said. "Tennessee is my place. It's my football team."
"Even after they put a gun in your face, you say let them play football?" 6 News asked.
"Yeah, it's Tennessee. That's the way it is sometimes," Zickefoose said.
I think Tennessee has a new marketing slogan for its in-game commercials. "Tennessee: That's the way it is sometimes." This gentleman is probably not helping recruiting, which means Lane Kiffin will most certainly not follow his advice. (HT: Wiz of Odds)
Dr. Saturday: Those crazy Southerners
The comment brings about the tsk-tsking from those who have never cared much for the SEC at all.
for a certain subset of fans everywhere in the SEC, personal well-being, consistent legal justice and fundamental social norms spanning the recorded history of human civilization are all mere trivialities when standing to the well-being of The Program.
Yes, because such behavior has never been tolerated at such prestigious non-SEC institutions as Miami and Oklahoma.
How'd the TV station get the story first?
"Routine diligent overnight news gathering." Or as those of us in the business like to call it, "dumb luck."
Did they actually mean to commit a robbery?
Richard at the LSU blog And The Valley Shook has an interesting take on the situation: Maybe they didn't mean it quite the way it was taken.
This does not excuse this type of behavior. Indeed, people will sometimes get gravely hurt in situations in which no one was ever meant to get hurt. It puts the whole situation in context. In reading this account, one wonders if the football player who held the gun even intended it to be an actual robbery, or if he was just playing a late-teenage version of Cops And Robbers without realizing that if you do that at night at a convenience store, not everyone will realize you're playing a game.
As Richard says, it doesn't make it better. But it could explain how three football players with relatively promising futures could do something so stupid.
A round of applause is due for kleph
Bravo. Maybe the best parody to come out of the entire incident
OTHER NEWS
Kentucky getting some players back
Derrick Locke, Randall Cobb and Trevard Lindley.
Was Spikes left off the Lott list for eye-gouging play
It would have been difficult to give the Lott Trophy to Brandon Spikes, since it "recognizes on-field performance and personal character among defensive players." Fair or not, the enduring image of Spikes is the eye-gouging incident.
Well said
The Ghost of Jay Cutler points out who is actually responsible for the loss of From Dixie With Love.
Lou Holtz?!?
This has to be a baseless rumor.