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September 18, 2007

Shocking, Coach Dixon indicates the team will wait and see for a little with Levance Fields and guess what? No news today.

Even if he does act or has already acted, not all disciplinary action meted out to Pitt student-athletes is made public.

Dixon refused to comment on his star player for the second day in a row, and his other players were instructed not to speak with reporters after the workout.

Regardless of what action the athletic department takes, Fields could be subject to punishment by the university’s student affairs judicial system. According to the university’s Web site, “in some cases, off-campus conduct may also be subject to disciplinary action by the university.”

It was not clear yesterday if the university has disciplined Fields. University spokeman John Fedele said, “At this point, I cannot comment on internal punishments, if there are any.”

While the present players aren’t supposed to say anything, a former player will defend his old teammates and team.

“I don’t think there’s a character issue at all at Pittsburgh,” Gray said. “When we would have recruits come in, that would always be the first thing Coach Dixon talks about. It’s not always about how good of a basketball player they are. It’s also what kind of a person they are.”

Ron Cook channels his inner-Jay Mariotti and calls for a swift suspension — if not outright booting from the team.

But Dixon’s tough-talk statement about the Fields arrest only will mean something if he backs it up, sooner rather than later. Fields is facing serious charges. He should be suspended from the team indefinitely while the legal process starts to take its course, and Dixon has a chance to conduct his own investigation.

Some will argue that isn’t fair to Fields, that he hasn’t been found guilty of anything yet. That’s true. But no one is saying he should be locked up in prison without due process or that his rights as an American citizen be disregarded. He just shouldn’t be allowed to be a part of the Pitt team with all of this hanging over him.

Apparently the part about the  “letting the judicial process run its course” from Dixon never registered with Cook.

Allright, devil’s advocate since Cook tried to couch the whole thing as vital for the “integrity” and risking “permanent damage” to the Pitt program. Isn’t it the biggest key to a basketball or any college sport, recruiting and bringing in talent? Wouldn’t it be bad for Pitt’s program to simply boot or suspend players knee-jerk, without giving any support or backing to them? Doesn’t it make the whole recruiting pitch of being part of a family, team, whatever a completely hollow, one-way thing. Screw-up and you are cut loose.

Final thing. Anyone who tries to use this as some sort of statement on Dixon not having control of the team, recruiting thugs, or any other accusation. Well, they better not be the same people who dream of John Calipari being hired. Last I checked, Joey Dorsey hasn’t been nor going to be kicked off the team anytime soon.





WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Tara Edwards sought comment from Fields on Sunday afternoon but nobody answered the door at Fields’ Oakland apartment.

A witness, who did not want to be identified, told Edwards that Fields never reached for the police officer’s gun.

He said the altercation between Fields and another person at the club was just some friends fooling around. The witness was surprised everything went as far as it did.

In a written statement, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said the university would allow the case to go through the judicial process before determining what disciplinary action is needed.

Comment by Omar 09.18.07 @ 4:50 pm

What Fields is charged for is heinous and I personally think he should be indefinitely suspended immediately (since he definitely is guilty of terrible judgement, if nothing else).

That said, again this is all such a double standard with the Nit situation. Dozens of their hoodlums got in trouble, and several arrested, for a very violent crime. Some are still pending. Yet the main perp is still back there playing every down, practicing every second, no punishment at all. You want to cite it was a crime against a cop? Well, PSU’s starting QB beat a cop to a pulp (of that there is no denial) but later got off (very legitimately, no quibbling there). But until he did, he received absolutely no punishment, although he similarly used terrible judgement.

Absolutely no lecturing hack job articles from the “Pittsburgh” newspaper, no criticism for the lack of discipline and depth chart justice, and especially, no tabloid journalism harrassment of the kid from garbage-sniffing reporters. Y’know why? Paterno would NEVER stand for it, he’d immediately ban access to the paper or TV stations. Same with the Steelers. And the yokel local news jockies here could never bear to face that possibility. Pitt should be no worse, but certainly no more accepting of it.

I hate what Fields did, I hate that he hasn’t already been suspended … but I really, really hate the hypocrisy much more.

Comment by geeman2001 09.18.07 @ 6:34 pm

Everyone should just chill out about the LF incident. Not one of us knows what really happened. Speculation aside, I suggest that we all just wait to see what the “facts” are before we render our opinions. Jamie Dixon got it right.

Comment by TmgPanther 09.18.07 @ 8:02 pm

Geeman is right about one thing, I’ve been around some stillers and their “boys” when they were firing handguns into the air when they were having a dispute at a party. Never even made the news…and I know for a fact the police came and arrested one of the stillers cousins… Then again, the stillers are too important to this region for the police to do anything to jeapordize their season… Too bad Pitt isn’t that important.

Now, pac man jones boys shoots a gun, and its all over the news…

I still want to know what really happen, and i give as much credibility to Levance’s friends as I do to any police around here. The funny thing is i think this is going to be one mans word against anothers. I wish there was video for us to see…

Comment by Stuart 09.18.07 @ 10:20 pm

I am an attorney that does some criminal defense work and I know for a fact that some cops lie, even on the witness stand. Or should I say especially on the witness stand. For varying reasons they lie. To protect their rep or if they think they have the right guy, they’ll lie their asses off. Unfortunately, the first word the public hears is that of the cops, and from then on the accused is basically presumed guilty. I don’t know what happened that night, but I guarantee you it’s not exactly what the cops say happened.

Comment by Crackbaldo 09.18.07 @ 11:03 pm

Let me clarify the above slightly. I know there are good cops out there. I am not for a minute suggesting that all cops make a habit of not telling the truth. My father in law is a retired Pa State Cop, and he is one of the most honest men I know. But would he lie to convict someone who he thought was guilty of a crime? I don’t know.

Comment by Crackbaldo 09.18.07 @ 11:27 pm

I love the video from the other day of the cop pulling that kid over and threatening to make shit up to charge him with. I still don’t understand why cops are given the presumption of credibility unless disproven, and the person being charged is given the presumption of lying to protect themselves, whether its the truth or not.

Like i said, I’d prefer to see videotape with audio before I believe anything.

Comment by Stuart 09.18.07 @ 11:43 pm

Apparently nothing that happened at Duke during the past year registered with Cook.

Comment by baudolino 09.19.07 @ 2:38 pm

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