Pitt starting QB Rod Rutherford was only accused of assault, not actually charged (yet). He may still be charged, but right now it is a he said/she said thing. No real injuries reported, though there is apparently a broken car window.
Not that this hasn’t stopped the Ron Cook of the Post-Gazette from deciding that Rutherford should immediately be suspended.
If ever there was a night for a Pittsburgh athlete to stay in and avoid the risk of trouble, it seemed as if it would have been Sunday night. But there Rutherford was, at a Station Square establishment late Sunday and in the early hours of Monday, perhaps in violation of Pitt’s team rules. An incident with a woman allegedly took place. A car window was said to be shattered. The police were notified.
Suddenly, Rutherford was in the jackpot and had joined Porter in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.
Pitt Coach Walt Harris should suspend him if for no other reason than sheer stupidity.
…
Harris has to suspend Rutherford at least for the Kent State game, doesn’t he? This involves more than just the one player. It involves the team. Harris has to send a message that he won’t tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone, not even the star quarterback. If being involved in an incident at a bar in the early-morning hours during a game week doesn’t qualify as conduct detrimental to a college team, it should.
Oooooh. Sounds reckless and lurid. Shame, though that Cook couldn’t be bothered to read his own paper.
The incident took place outside Philthy McNasty’s in Station Square, where Rutherford and several other Pitt football and basketball players attended a private party Sunday night.
[Emphasis added.]
Oops. That does not exactly sound like he was out drinking and carousing without a thought. Of course, facts never interfere with a chance to complain about how college athletes are out of control and coaches need to crack the whip.