Memphis and C-USA
Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 9:15 pmTimes Record News
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University of Memphis stance a burning issue
By GEOFF CALKINS
July 7, 2004
If I'm John Calipari, I'm wondering what the University of Memphis has against basketball players.
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Case A: Basketball player is charged with identity theft. He's suspended immediately.
Case B: Two football players are charged with arson. The university says, oh, let's wait and see how this plays out, shall we?
Is arson less threatening than identity theft?
Does aw-shucks Tommy West get away with more than aw-#@&* Calipari?
Or is Memphis athletic director R. C. Johnson just thrilled that his football team has finally hit the big time?
"Whether you're at Memphis, Michigan or Minnesota these things happen," said Johnson, who must be tickled to stick those three in the same sentence.
Johnson was responding to the arrest of Derron Parquet and LaVale Washington, who allegedly torched a GMC Yukon in a field Friday night. The car belonged to Parquet's father, Stanley. According to the police report, neither student was carrying marshmallows.
So Parquet and Washington were immediately suspended, right? Just like point guard Clyde Wade was suspended after being charged with identity theft?
No! That's the surprising part. It's as if West and Johnson have decided to make a late push for Southeastern Conference membership.
"I just don't think it would be fair (to take action)," West said. "What we will do is wait this thing out, see where it goes. Because right now they've only been accused."
Ahhhhh.
Just like Wade had only been accused.
But different, somehow.
"When you're dealing with people of this age bracket, this is just part of it," Johnson said.
Alas, he really said that.
As if wacky college students are all the time taking Yukons out into fields and making automotive bonfires.
Which is nonsense, of course, just like the university's sudden respect for the judicial system.
It's a favorite refrain from college coaches everywhere. Aren't people presumed innocent? Shouldn't we wait until the jury has spoken?
Answer: Yes. We should absolutely wait before we send someone off to jail. But it's OK, in the meantime, to make your own judgment about whether you want that someone representing your university.
Maybe Parquet and Washington had nothing to do with the fire. If so, let's hear that. But if they did set it, who really cares if they're convicted of something? Isn't setting a car on fire bad enough?
If you set the flames, you miss the games.
Or something like that.
None of which is to suggest that the University of Memphis is alone in recruiting bad customers, or working every angle to try and win.
Bobby Bowden does it at Florida State. Phil Fulmer does it at Tennessee. Tom Osborne did it with Lawrence Phillips and it won him his first national title at Nebraska.
The Memphis story was one of eight primary links on the ESPN college football Web site Tuesday night. Only two dealt with actual football. Here are the five others:
"VT suspends Vick indefinitely after drug arrest"
"Canes recruit sentenced to 3 years probation"
"Police: FIU football player pistol-whipped student"
"CU: players appear in front of Grand Jury Friday"
"LSU's Oliver placed under restraining order".
Cheery, eh? It's not the nature of kids these days. It's the nature of serious college athletics.
The university won't comment on what's happening behind the scenes, but a cynic's best guess is that West is trying to figure out a way to save Washington. Parquet is a backup running back that has been in trouble before. The team won't exactly miss him. But Washington is one of the team's best defensive linemen. If there's a way to keep him around, here's betting that the program would like to find it.
And maybe that's the price of success, but it represents a disquieting change for the university.
Wade was suspended until his name was cleared. Without any jury assistance, Calipari told Billy Richmond to take a hike. West did the same thing to some bad apples two years ago.
But now a Yukon goes up in flames and the university wants to "wait this thing out."
It could have been a protest against gas-guzzling SUVs, see.
It could have been a misdirected bottle rocket.
It could have been, oh, wait, here's one!
A football program, exploding onto the big time.
-Contact Geoff Calkins at Calkins(at)commercialappeal.com.
(Geoff Calkins is a columnist for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., at http://www.gomemphis.com.)
Copyright 2004, Times Record News. All Rights Reserved.
To print this page, select File then Print from your browser
URL: http://www.timesrecordnews.com/trn/sp_m ... 44,00.html
University of Memphis stance a burning issue
By GEOFF CALKINS
July 7, 2004
If I'm John Calipari, I'm wondering what the University of Memphis has against basketball players.
Advertisement
Case A: Basketball player is charged with identity theft. He's suspended immediately.
Case B: Two football players are charged with arson. The university says, oh, let's wait and see how this plays out, shall we?
Is arson less threatening than identity theft?
Does aw-shucks Tommy West get away with more than aw-#@&* Calipari?
Or is Memphis athletic director R. C. Johnson just thrilled that his football team has finally hit the big time?
"Whether you're at Memphis, Michigan or Minnesota these things happen," said Johnson, who must be tickled to stick those three in the same sentence.
Johnson was responding to the arrest of Derron Parquet and LaVale Washington, who allegedly torched a GMC Yukon in a field Friday night. The car belonged to Parquet's father, Stanley. According to the police report, neither student was carrying marshmallows.
So Parquet and Washington were immediately suspended, right? Just like point guard Clyde Wade was suspended after being charged with identity theft?
No! That's the surprising part. It's as if West and Johnson have decided to make a late push for Southeastern Conference membership.
"I just don't think it would be fair (to take action)," West said. "What we will do is wait this thing out, see where it goes. Because right now they've only been accused."
Ahhhhh.
Just like Wade had only been accused.
But different, somehow.
"When you're dealing with people of this age bracket, this is just part of it," Johnson said.
Alas, he really said that.
As if wacky college students are all the time taking Yukons out into fields and making automotive bonfires.
Which is nonsense, of course, just like the university's sudden respect for the judicial system.
It's a favorite refrain from college coaches everywhere. Aren't people presumed innocent? Shouldn't we wait until the jury has spoken?
Answer: Yes. We should absolutely wait before we send someone off to jail. But it's OK, in the meantime, to make your own judgment about whether you want that someone representing your university.
Maybe Parquet and Washington had nothing to do with the fire. If so, let's hear that. But if they did set it, who really cares if they're convicted of something? Isn't setting a car on fire bad enough?
If you set the flames, you miss the games.
Or something like that.
None of which is to suggest that the University of Memphis is alone in recruiting bad customers, or working every angle to try and win.
Bobby Bowden does it at Florida State. Phil Fulmer does it at Tennessee. Tom Osborne did it with Lawrence Phillips and it won him his first national title at Nebraska.
The Memphis story was one of eight primary links on the ESPN college football Web site Tuesday night. Only two dealt with actual football. Here are the five others:
"VT suspends Vick indefinitely after drug arrest"
"Canes recruit sentenced to 3 years probation"
"Police: FIU football player pistol-whipped student"
"CU: players appear in front of Grand Jury Friday"
"LSU's Oliver placed under restraining order".
Cheery, eh? It's not the nature of kids these days. It's the nature of serious college athletics.
The university won't comment on what's happening behind the scenes, but a cynic's best guess is that West is trying to figure out a way to save Washington. Parquet is a backup running back that has been in trouble before. The team won't exactly miss him. But Washington is one of the team's best defensive linemen. If there's a way to keep him around, here's betting that the program would like to find it.
And maybe that's the price of success, but it represents a disquieting change for the university.
Wade was suspended until his name was cleared. Without any jury assistance, Calipari told Billy Richmond to take a hike. West did the same thing to some bad apples two years ago.
But now a Yukon goes up in flames and the university wants to "wait this thing out."
It could have been a protest against gas-guzzling SUVs, see.
It could have been a misdirected bottle rocket.
It could have been, oh, wait, here's one!
A football program, exploding onto the big time.
-Contact Geoff Calkins at Calkins(at)commercialappeal.com.
(Geoff Calkins is a columnist for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., at http://www.gomemphis.com.)
Copyright 2004, Times Record News. All Rights Reserved.