UPDATE: Pitt has issued a statement on the players situation, it is below the fold.
Really not much that can say about the assault charges that are filed against Devin Street, Ray Graham and Lafayette Pitts. I won’t outright call them a load of bull, but let’s just say there doesn’t seem to be much meat to the charges.
Pittsburgh police wrote in a criminal complaint that they were working an overtime detail early on Oct. 21 when they tried to disperse a crowd from the intersection of Oakland Avenue and Bates Street and three people remained in the roadway.
One those people, Karl Olsheski, told police he had just been assaulted. He refused medical treatment and said he did not want to file a report, he just wanted officers to stop the man who had punched him, according to the criminal complaint.
In an interview with police, Mr. Olsheski said he was walking in Oakland with two women when Mr. Graham stopped him, said, “What’s up?” and uttered a racial slur. Mr. Olsheski said that he replied “nothing” and tried to leave but Mr. Graham, Mr. Street and Mr. Pitts surrounded him and then Mr. Street slugged him on the left side of the head, according to the criminal complaint.
The players are being mailed their summons to appear. It is simple assault and conspiracy. The stories do not make clear how the three were identified or whether they were detained at the incident. They were not and will not be arrested in connection to the charges. They haven’t even received notice that they are being charged, since the summons are being mailed to them.
It doesn’t really add up. None of the players have been in trouble before. It seems that whatever happened that night, the police report did not involve detaining or interviewing Street, Pitts and Graham so it is only the version from the victim. So, it makes it appear that the three randomly targeted and surrounded a guy for abuse. Uh, what? And, I have to believe that if an athlete with the size and strength of Street actually “slugged” someone in the head, it would leave some sort of mark.
I don’t see how they get suspended for this, but who knows. This is Chryst’s first public incident involving team discipline. The previous incidents at the start of the season involved “violations of team rules” to keep everyone in the dark. He may feel that he has to do something.
Something the players, coaches and team didn’t need.
UPADATE: Pitt has issued a statement. Street, Graham and Pitts traveled with the team and will play on Saturday. There’s the boilerplate “we are still gathering facts” and “no rush to judgment” stuff. The statement also confirms that the police have yet to interview the players, so this whole thing will very likely fade to nothingness.
“The University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department was recently made aware of a police report relating to an incident allegedly involving three of our football student-athletes on October 21. Those individuals have denied any involvement with the situation and have offered to speak with authorities, although to date they have not been questioned or received any court documents. We take matters of player discipline very seriously and will continue to cooperate with any investigation. However, we will not, and hope others will not, rush to judgment on these misdemeanor allegations. All three players will remain active members of our program while we gain more clarity on this situation.”
Also like the subtlety of pointing out that even the charges amount to misdemeanors. Not exactly hard crime stuff.
LMAO!!!!!!! We’re going under.
Smack in the face!!!!
“Academic cheating scandal involving over 279 students in a government class has now affected Harvard athletics. Two starting Harvard basketball players, including their leading scorer, have now withdrawn from the team and the school because of their involvement in the cheating scandal”.
Wow, it’s worse than I thought out there.!
It’s an ugly world!!! LOL
LOL
Northwestern offers a class on pornography.
Pretty much every major and minor college in the USA offers classes that students find ‘interesting’. The vampire class brought into discussion is more about the cultural derivation of vampires throughout the world and why the living dead is such a pervasive idea in human history.
I am slightly annoyed that all three are being handed a summons for assault when it seems clear that if ANY physical exchange actually occurred there was only one person involved. We are missing some information. Given how all of us know how south oakland gets late at night, one can’t rule out that the ‘assaulted’ individuals did not play a large part in this transgression.
These players should be smarter though, I mean, come on, if you see a situation like this just get the hell out of there. It isn’t worth your NFL career, or professional career even.
Well, tomorrow we’re going to put it to the test.
JK
All schools have courses of this nature … nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. It’s pretty damn funny actually.
But reportedly the woman rumored to be Street’s ex-girlfriend did have a HICKEY!
Duke University
AMSE Class 141S:
Vampire Chronicles: Fantasies of Vampirism in a Cross-cultural Perspective. ALP, CCI Literary and cinematic representations of vampirism, from Dracula to Buffy, Chinese jiangshi to the politics of blood-selling and blood donation. The figure of the vampire as embodiment of anxieties about sexuality, desire, gender identity, and ethnic alterity. Cross-cultural circulation of vampiric traditions, vampirism as a symbol of circulation in its own right. Instructor: Rojas. One course. C-L: Cultural Anthropology 142, Literature 151M, International Comparative Studies 122E, Women’s Studies 131S, Study of Sexualities 131S, International Comparative Studies
The Vampire class was three credits. I think when I took it, it was a Tuesday-Thursday class and it was however long a typical Tuesday-Thursday class is, I think 1:15. Seriously, no reason to be embarrassed by the class. It wasn’t a blow off class in any sort of way. In fact, a portion of the grade was class participation so you had to show up to do well. In general, the class was pretty interesting, learned how ideas i.e., Vampires can start as local rumors and travel through cultures, time periods and different forms of mediums.
we might as well win!!!!!!!!!
They really shouldn’t be passing judgment on anyone. Guy dying on the boom. Several drunken players/police episode off season. QB Rees one of them I believe??
Questions of the football player alledged rape/girl committing suicide episode.
They should really just sit down, be quiet, and enjoy the game!!!
Is Vampires 101 a 3 credit or 4 credit course ?
I’m betting 4 if football players were taking it.
Oy Vey !
You’re posts are cracking me up! Highlight of my day so far.
Everyone, close your eyes! Now think! How many times each of us could have been arrested for being drunk on a Friday or Saturday night walking in front of the Towers? Or saying something completely stupid to people/girls/police. Hell, I had to be carried out of Quinues on occasion!
Hell #2..several of my friends threw a firecracker (M80 I think) out the dorm window (yes the windows did use to open and shut!) and the police wanted to arrest everyone in the dorm as it exploded right next to a pedestrian.
So…think ..of your worst night (s) and now read carefully the incredibly bogus charges against the 3 players. Comeon everyone…of course they should play!!! This should not even be mentioned by NBC.
PS – enjoy the memories.
PSS – Pitt 37 Notre Dame 35
Society mimics sports or is it the other way around.
Regardless it’s really a barometer of how truly screwed up this society has become.
Just like parents having to go out with their kids trick or treating.
While we all enjoy our latest little gadgets and electronic toys that suggest things are advancing, societal wise, we are regressing.
That explains why Harvard was in the Top 25 in hoops several weeks last year.
Yes the infection has even reached the Ivies.
We are Doomed !
Wait…….
that’s right Rick Majerus is trying to resurrect their basketball program. My bad 🙂
Mayor says NYC Marathon canceled
duh, well yah, half of NYC has no power and is underwater. I guess ESPN was mad since now they’ll have to figure out what to program for those hours. The choice being Celebrity Poker, women’s college field hockey or a rerun of the 1975 Ohio St-Michigan game.
he said some thing that might give us a clue
he said he thought wisconsin really wanted him there .
i think and this is just a thought that maybe
after we get a kid to commit we stop giveing him love may be we dont call as offton or go to his games any more.
i mean the RB decommits from pitt and commits to wisconsin and says wisnconsin really wants me does that meam pitt stoped showing it .
johnsons mom was worryed abought her boy at pitt
with all the so called inter city chrime now what will she say.
my bet he goes to VT.
lets face it we know it is as safe as any were but if a mom does not want it and some thing like this is on the news we lose.
the point i was makeing was his mom will use it as a reason not to have him go to pitt.
which was part of the reason he went to penn state his mom thinks pitt is danger zone.
you and i remmber the on school; shooting in VT but outhers dont.
This is a non-story. Mason up and jar the irish.
The topic of the course doesn’t matter nearly as much as the questions “Is it sufficiently rigorous?” and “Does it require critical thinking?” I can see a course like this being in any of a variety of departments at various universities: communications, film (don’t know that Pitt has such a department but schools with a connection to the entertainment industry usually do, e.g. USC), sociology, literature and even history. Let’s not get our knickers in a twist about Pitt’s academic quality and reputation over the name of one course which may offer a significant contribution to a student’s learning and growth. Likewise let’s not get too concerned about some players being involved in a likely minor incident and trust the legal authorities, coaching staff and administration to handle it appropriately. Pitt is a very fine academic and research university and under the current administration and BOT is getting continuously better and certainly better than the nits, hoopies and domers.
Now lets get back to the business of beating those domers! Win it for Mason! Go Pitt!
Have the charges been dropped or not? The Post relevant Gazette does not say.
By the way. Ohio state no longer has am opening in 2013 the same day as us.
Maybe Pederson is holding out for a big Gardner Webb payday.
I googled, “Yale player assault”, knowing that nothing would come up for them.
First thing, smacks me in the face……….
“Yale quarterback faces sexual assault charges”!!
I quit. LOL