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October 17, 2007

Fields Is Just Moving On

Filed under: Basketball,Players — Chas @ 10:51 am

From Pitt’s media day last week, there was going to be some attention on Levance Fields. Still catching up with things.

There’s only so much you are going to get out of any athlete after they screw-up. If they don’t want to talk about it any more or won’t talk about it, there’s little to be done. The media knows this and has a general reluctance to push a college player too hard on the matter. Unlike pro athletes it isn’t endorsement money and league suspensions at stake. Unlike politicians, it isn’t their livelihood and election prospects. So, it’s no surprise that Levance Fields didn’t say much about his arrest last month, and the subsequent resolution.

He did talk about it a little, but kept it vague.

“It’s a night I wish never happened,” Fields said. “I live and learn from it. It hurt me not being able to be around my teammates for so many days due to the school’s discipline. I think I grew from it.”

Fields must complete the ARD program and serve a nine-month probationary period. If he does not run afoul of the law in that time he will have a clean record. Fields could not participate in any team activities while the case was in the court system. For more than two weeks, Fields had to work out on his own at night without any of his teammates.

“It was definitely tough,” Fields said. “I love to play. I love to compete. It was hard for me not to be able to be around my teammates and play with them. That was the most painful thing, not being able to be around my teammates.”

The threat of jail time and a permanent blot on his record, were apparently secondary.

There’s not much (nothing) that he said about the actual incident.

“Unfortunately, it happened,” he said. “But it’s behind me now, and I’m just ready to play basketball.”

There’s really not much he could say. If he talked about it and tried to give his version, it turns into excuse making and trying to justify it. That’s a bad path on so many levels.

Coach Jamie Dixon when he was talking about the players, fell into old habits and coachspeak at first.

Pitt men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon, as he often does to open press conferences, started down his roster player-by-player and lauded each one.

Unconsciously, when he got to Levance Fields’ name, Dixon said his point guard had a great off-season.

Well, other than Fields’ arrest on aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness charges …

Quickly realizing his slip, Dixon said, “Obviously, the situation that occurred … something I think he’s learned a lot from.”

Please don’t do that next Wednesday at Big East Media Day.





I got the same impression. I would have liked to have seen more contrition from Fields, Dixon and his teammates.
This was about more than Fields missing two weeks of practice. It’s a black eye for the program and university whether he’s found guilty or not. Closing ranks isn’t going to help the situation. Admit your an idiot, take your lumps and move on.
In fact, I’d like to see Fields suspended for the first few games. That may sound odd/overzealous coming from a Pitt fan, but I believe we’ve built a reputation as a clean program. That all goes out the window when you start letting people off the hook.
Everybody makes mistakes. That much is clear. It’s when the consequences of those mistakes are inconsistent that problems arise.
That’s the one/only thing I think Wannstedt has done correctly with the football team. He’s holding people (Strong, Fields, etc.) accountable for their actions on and off the field.

Comment by Dave in Orlando 10.17.07 @ 11:54 am

Breaking news on Wanny today:

The ACL was a front, according to sources close to the situation, Wanny entered UPMC for a brain transplant late last night.

Great news for the Pitt football program, maybe now Wanny will be coherent, finally understand on how to coach, put a game plan together and assemble a coaching staff.

HAHAHAHA

I’m just bull shitting all of you.

Thought I would try to brighten things up.

Sorry I thought it would be funny

Comment by vito 10.17.07 @ 1:23 pm

I thought it was very funny vito, perhaps you could sculpt it into something onion magazine-esque. Something like Wanny tears ACL, doctor perform immediate life-saving frontal lobe brain surgery.

Comment by Noel 10.17.07 @ 1:27 pm

Should have posted this yesterday but forgot….

If you want tickets to Pitt – Duke at MSG, you can go on to ticketmaster.com and get them now…the password for the pre-internet sale which goes until tomorrow at 12? (i think)..is BASPORTS………the 300 level at MSG and lower is $65 a piece (plus fees) but if you can figure out how to get the 400 level tickets they are only $15…and they are midcourt………

cant wait for the game, and the start of pitt hoops 07-08

Comment by schoe 10.17.07 @ 2:46 pm

Wannstedt fought to not suspend Fields. The University wouldn’t budge.

Comment by Omar 10.17.07 @ 3:13 pm

Bought 8 tix yesterday, can’t wait

Comment by Greg in Columbia 10.17.07 @ 3:36 pm

thanks for the lookout schoe. just got four in 331. for a game this big, I wouldnt go 400 level. you can barely see the court and the lighting is horrible.

Comment by Noel 10.17.07 @ 5:37 pm

Anyone else see who the magistrate on the Levance case was?? It was Nathan Firestone who threw out the charges….no big deal other than the fact that he happens to be a Pitt Professor…conflict of interest??

Comment by firepaul 10.17.07 @ 6:26 pm

Firestone was always one of my favorites…

Comment by jason 10.17.07 @ 6:28 pm

No conflict, just favorable court scheduling.

Comment by vito 10.17.07 @ 6:42 pm

I don’t like that Fields has been let off so easily either. But Paterno set the bar (underground) for athlete non-discipline in these parts, and Pitt has merely learned the lessons well. Just look at the Post Gazette remaining fairly neutral on the issue. In years past it would have been columns left and right ripping Pitt coddling criminal athletes and upholding Paterno as the model. They really can’t do that anymore.

Before their NRA-like fanatics swarm and attack with shrieks of “Austin Scott! Austin Scott!”, Anwar Phillips did the same thing and didn’t miss a microsecond of practice, let alone a game or off the team. Just so happens he was a good player, however, while Scott was already written off as a failure. Truth told Paterno was probably relieved to have a reason to kick the kid out. Depth chart justice.

Not much different than what happens everywhere. And that’s my point. PATERNO IS NO BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE AND NEVER HAS BEEN. If you despise hypocrisy as much as I do, he’s worse.

But coming back to the subject at hand, Pitt simply should not have whitewashed a kid who clashed with a police officer, while drunk and underage as well. Forcing him to sit in his apartment playing PlayStation for a few days while University lawyers maneuvered his wristslap is wrong.

Comment by geeman2001 10.17.07 @ 8:53 pm

Omar – I did not know that. Where did you learn this? And what exactly did Fields do? I don’t even know why he was suspended? I may be living under a rock, but I thought the program was playing it tight-lipped and just spouting the usual “violating team policy” stuff.
Ooohh… Just noticed — Elijah Fields and Levance Fields. Coincidence….?
Geeman – I agree with you, although I find the Paterno/NRA diatribe a bit disconcerting 😉

Comment by Dave in Orlando 10.17.07 @ 10:28 pm

Speaking of Elijah Fields, I heard he’s doing well with his off court issues, got the help he seems to have needed and is on track to be back on the field next year. We need him, but not as bad as we need a different defensive scheme.

Comment by Crackbaldo 10.17.07 @ 10:42 pm

Why the f@#$ does somebody always have to bring up PSU and Paterno when talking about Pitt athletes’ off-field issues? How one school acts – even a FORMER football rival — has no bearing whatsoever on how Pitt handles these issues. IMO, it’s an exercise in complete intellectual dishonesty and makes it sound like you think that other school is somehow superior to Pitt and so you need to knock it to make up for feelings of inadequacy or something.

So get over it. Pitt is Pitt. Penn State is Penn State. The two schools happen to be in the same state but have little to nothing to do with each other anymore. Let’s move on.

That said, got tix for the NYC game. Can’t freakin’ wait! Now just need to book a hotel.

Comment by Carmen 10.18.07 @ 10:15 am

Firestone had nothing to do with the resolution of the Fields case – it was up to the DA to decide what to charge him with. He just sat up there and rubber stamped what was put in front of him…..on the other hand, look across the state at a trial where the DA wanted to charge kids with crimes and a judge actually threw them out! Now *that* is fuct up…if the DA thinks he can prove a case, let him try. DAs don’t try to waste their own time…they usually decide if they have enough evidence of plea it out…

Comment by Stuart 10.18.07 @ 1:53 pm

All I’m saying is that PSU is shoved up everyone’s assses by the adoring Pittsburgh media (most of whom went there or to one of their AAA affiliates like Clarion or IUP) as the upstanding program. Pitt has been the ghetto program that has crack dealers and gang bangers. It’s been that way since I began following sports. Well, look what that adoration has wrought. This guy has been exposed as a giant hypocrite, nationally but particularly locally. If he actually was the disciplinarian his minions preach him to be, maybe Fields doesn’t get such a wristslap.

Comment by geeman2001 10.18.07 @ 10:52 pm

I also have tix for the Duke game @ MSG– but to warn you for now… get your hotel as soon as possible. Speaking as a NYCer X-mas is a horrible time to try and get a deal on a hotel, and if you need any advice on any areas to stay in– let me know!! See ya at the game!!!!!! 🙂

Comment by Caroline 10.22.07 @ 2:41 pm

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