Ron Cook had a column this morning taking Pitt’s athletic director and football coach to task for the non-suspension of Jabaal Sheard.

If I’ve heard Wannstedt and athletic director Steve Pederson say it once, I’ve heard them say dozens of times that they want a strong program at Pitt — not just a strong team — and that they’re always going to do the right thing for the long term rather than overlook problems for short-term benefit.

Well, guess what?

Hey, I know that admirable policy isn’t always easy to follow. Wannstedt and Pederson wouldn’t have to swallow hard to suspend Sheard if he were a third-string defensive end or if Pitt’s opener was against New Hampshire at Heinz Field. Of course, it’s a lot more difficult in this case. But that doesn’t change the message Wannstedt and Pederson will be sending if they allow Sheard to play at Utah. They might as well tack up a sign in the locker room that says: “If you’re a good enough player and the game is really big, you can get away with bad behavior.”

I’ve already indicated my feelings on this, and that a suspension for the first game still would make more sense to me.

Today was the opening of Pitt’s training camp and Coach Wannstedt wanted to get out in front of all of this.

(more…)

Well nothing like a plea deal to bring things back down to a manageable level.

Sheard, 21, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. He also agreed to pay medical bills for the victim, Edward Parker, 27, of Stanton Heights, and write a letter of apology to him.

District Judge Robert Ravenstahl approved the plea agreement and ordered Sheard to pay a fine of $300, plus court costs.

The disorderly conduct charge is a summary offense. The charges dropped in the plea deal were the aggravated assault (felony), resisting arrest and criminal mischief.

Sheard’s defense attorney declared the outcome unsurprising and typical for a first-time offender.

Parker was knocked through a glass door at the art gallery and suffered cuts and bruises, which Sheard attorney William Diffenderfer said required “a few staples in his head.” Diffenderfer said Parker has 90 days to forward his medical bills from UPMC Shadyside Hospital to Sheard.

“This was an unfortunate fist fight on the South Side,” said Diffenderfer, who added that the agreement with Parker was worked out “amicably.”

“Frankly, from my experience, it was handled no differently than any other fist fight.”

Both Sheard and Parker declined comment as they left the courtroom.

Following this, Jabaal Sheard was reinstated to Pitt’s’ football team.

“This situation with Jabaal was as surprising as it was disappointing to me,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement released by the university. “Until this incident, his behavior has always been representative of the high standards we have for our program on and off the field. I’m confident he will learn from this and be wiser moving forward.”

According to the statement, Wannstedt said Sheard will continue to be subject to internal discipline and accountability.

The indications are that the “internal discipline and accountability” will be of the Bobby Bowden variety.

…likely including some extra running and conditioning drills, but it looks like all systems are go for him to start the team’s opener at Utah.

I’m feeling decidedly ambivalent about things if that is the extent of the punishment.

From the football side of things, there is no question that this is good and helps the team immeasurably in what is a very tough opening game on the road. It also feeds into the idea of not punishing the team for Sheard’s actions. And of course, the final dispensation of the case is that Sheard ultimately pled guilty to a single disorderly conduct charge — a very minor offense

But…

He still put a guy through a glass door while fighting. He still acted so recklessly and dangerously. There are no actual disputes as to what the police report indicated occurred.  At least a suspension for the opening game seems like it still would have been appropriate.

I don’t think anyone really expected anything other than this for the initial preliminary hearing for Jabaal Sheard’s adventure in Barkleyism.

A preliminary hearing for suspended Pitt defensive end Jabaal Sheard has been postponed to Aug. 4.

Sheard’s attorney, William Difinderfer, asked for a postponement while he and the prosecutors attempt to negotiate a plea agreement, prosecutors said.

By the time the plea agreement is reached, you can expect the felony charge (aggravated assault) to be reduced to some sort of misdemeanor level.

Training camp opens August 7, so you know that Sheard’s attorney is pushing to get a resolution by the August 4 date.

If charges are withdrawn, defense attorney William Difenderfer said he will recommend his client be reinstated to the team in time for training camp next week.

…

Sheard’s lawyer said the hearing was postponed until the court could determine the cost of Parker’s medical bills and lost wages, which Sheard is expected to pay.

I can see Sheard reinstated for camp. Unless the plea agreement gets things down to a mere disorderly conduct charge, though, I can’t see how Sheard isn’t suspended for at least one game. Unlike DGunn’s incident last year, this wasn’t a relatively victimless incident. There have to be some consequences.

With the NCAA enforcement paying attention to social media as a way to find out who could be violating rules, Greg Romeus’ name is somewhere in the midst of the burgeoning agent scandal.

Greg Romeus attended San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore’s South Beach party in May, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told NFL Insider Aaron Wilson.

Romeus is from nearby Coral Springs, Fla., so it’s plausible that the NFL draft prospect could have arranged for his own transportation to the pool party at Gore’s residence.

We’re told that Romeus is prepared for any inquiries about how he came to be at the party.

The story notes that reports state that Romeus has denied to Pitt officials and coaches that he was even in Florida. Hopefully this is true.

If the NCAA starts sniffing around him, he had better be honest about things even if he attended. Last year Dez Bryant for Texas Tech Oklahoma St. had his career ended because of lying to investigators. Not for actually meeting with Deon Sanders. It’s always the cover-up that makes things worse.

Romeus is poised to be a first round pick regardless of this. It will, however, effect a lot of other things.

Romeus is one of the seniors on the squad and a face of Pitt football this year.

The Big East exposure continues on Friday as Pittsburgh hits the Bristol campus.

Coach Dave Wannstedt, running back Dion Lewis and defensive end Greg Romeus will appear in spots on the “Mike and Mike Show,” “College Football Live,” “The Scott Van Pelt Show” and ESPNews.

Romeus has also been named to the watchlist for the Allstate Insurance and American Football Coaches Association’s Good Works Team.

Jabaal Sheard’s preliminary court appearance is set for July 28. That means at least a week before we can expect any initial plea and if any additional information is revealed.

Details at this point are entirely from the police report and officer’s affidavit. The motives and reasons for Sheard going Barkley on the guy are unknown at this point.

Sheard’s high school coach is at a loss for the actions.

[Al] Lang believes Sheard’s actions are not indicative of his character.

“He had every opportunity to get into trouble down here, and he kept his nose clean,” Lang said. “He did a great job, and I think this is a one-time thing.”

At the moment the charges are aggravated assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. It remains to be seen what other charges might be added or subtracted.

Bob Smizik posts about the issue of punishment from Pitt and Coach Wannstedt. He rightly points out that there is no clear answer at the moment.

I doubt Sheard will get off that easy, although his case sounds no more serious than [Penn State QB Rahsard] Casey’s was.

I’m opposed to suspending Sheard for the season, as some have suggested. He made a big mistake. That’s no reason to possibly ruin his life.

Still, a serious suspension would appear to be in order. Two of Pitt’s most difficult games are among the first three — Utah and Miami. A suitable punishment would be for Sheard to miss those first three games and then be returned to the team.

If Wannstedt chooses less or more that’s his choice. Although Sheard faces possible punishment from the criminal justice system, as far as Pitt is concerned Wannstedt is judge and jury.

Clearly more information is still needed. We don’t know anything beyond the police report and there is a broken door.

I expect that Sheard will have to be suspended for the season opener. Beyond that, I don’t know.

Well, that’s something isn’t it?

Garrett Brown, a city officer working an off-duty detail, said Mr. [Jabaal] Sheard, listed at 6-feet-4 and 260 pounds, ignored his commands to stop fighting Edward Parker, 27, of Stanton Heights.

Officer Brown said Mr. Sheard kept punching Mr. Parker as the officer and other city officers tried to break up the fight. After absorbing several of Officer Brown’s baton blows to the body, Mr. Sheard picked up Mr. Parker by his clothing and threw him through the glass door of the gallery, then continued to punch him in the face as he lay bleeding on the floor inside the business, according to an affidavit.

Officers finally subdued both men with OC spray.

Not surprisingly, Sheard has been immediately and indefinitely suspended from the team.

Congrats on disrupting what had been a quiet boring summer off-the-field for Pitt football. All by his lonesome, Sheard has tallied 7 Fulmer Cup points for Pitt. Not enough to make the top-10 programs at this point, but just on the outside. There’s more work to be done.

(more…)

Unbelieveable. (hat tip to TJ):

Pitt senior safety/linebacker Elijah Fields has been dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons.

Fields (6-2, 225) has had off-field issues throughout his career and had been disciplined several times — including being suspended for the entire 2007 season — but had seemed to pull it together enough to have his best season last year.

Still, he had several incidents of insubordination and other minor issues throughout the season, but the final straw came last week when he had a video posted on his Twitter page of himself partying with friends and apparently drinking alcohol.

If (big if) he can make sure his academics are in order, he can still transfer to a D-2 or D-1AA school in time to play his final season of eligibility and maybe pursue the NFL as the classic big talent on/big risk off player.

If there is one thing I think I have avoided doing on this blog, is taking personal shots at a Pitt players and coaches Avoiding much in judging their character or who they are. I, frankly, don’t know them and I generally find it unfair since I can really only judge them by their on-the-field performance (or when they end up in the news for other reasons).

Having said that, in light of his past history and now this, I don’t think I’m making any leap to say that Fields has shown just how absolutely clueless and unable to comprehend concepts of personal responsibility. It’s no longer a kid making a mistake or youthful indiscretions. There have been too many screw-ups. Too many punishments. It is so clear that he doesn’t get it and sad to say, I don’t think he ever will.

He has pro-level talent. People say he’s a nice enough guy. That’s not enough. He continually has made the wrong choices and assumed that he would be allowed to skate by.

His loss will be a hit to depth and talent level. He’s not worth it any longer.

UPDATE (2/18): Sigh. Gee thanks Spencer for finding this. In a nod to either his cluelessness or what not, while Fields’ Twitter account is deleted, he left his TwitPic mostly intact. No party pictures. Just a bottle of Grey Goose on a hotel room desk and more unnerving: Cash. Wads of cash.

Pitt picked up a couple off-season Fulmer Cup points for Jonathan Baldwin being charged with indecent assault, harrassment and disorderly conduct. After a long and winding delay, and an eventual non-jury trial, the judge found Baldwin not-guilty on all charges.

“It should have never been there (in court), to be honest with you,” said Baldwin’s attorney Craig Lee. “The only reason it was there was because it was Jon. There was no evidence whatsoever, other than it was meant to be a playful gesture — not an insult — although Jonathan felt bad about it and wanted to apologize for it but never was presented the opportunity.”

Apparently the judge agreed about the charges.

“At best, you have a simple assault — and that’s not charged,” Judge Kevin Sasinoski said Monday, as he dismissed the charges after hearing witness testimony in Baldwin’s non-jury trial.

Clearly dumb, there was no reason to slap a girl on her rear. Especially one he did not know. The mother of the girl was still upset that Baldwin had all charges dismissed.

She should be more upset that the prosecutor’s office tried to stick to over-the-top charges.

Oh, Gilbert. Why? Do you not understand the expectations upon you? You were to be the latest at Pitt to make a stunning leap from your sophomore to junior year. Like Sam Young before you and Aaron Gray before him. It was all lined up for you. Moving to the starting rotation. One of the players expected to be the team leaders. Healthy and knowing it was your chance.

And now? You have put yourself at risk of being Wally Pipped. What happened?

Pitt’s most experienced men’s basketball player will miss the first half of the season on academic suspension.

Redshirt junior Gilbert Brown, who was expected to be the starting small forward for the Panthers, will miss at least the first 11 games after he was suspended from the university last night.

Brown, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound native of Harrisburg who has played in 72 career games for the Panthers, will be eligible to rejoin the team Dec. 20.

Brown has had a team-first attitude that got him the team’s “Coaches Award” after the 2007-08 season. At the end of this season you won the “Academic Excellence Award.” Are you trying to make a mockery of the sanctity that envelops team awards?

Well, it definitely lowers expectations to start the season.

Brown is expected to enroll at the end of the fall term and could be eligible to rejoin the Panthers Dec. 20. In that case, he would miss Pitt’s first 11 games – including the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Kansas City and Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden – but could return in time for the beginning of Big East Conference play.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound redshirt junior small forward from Harrisburg was expected to play a pivotal role for the Panthers, who lost four starters from their Elite Eight team that finished 31-5. Pitt’s lone returning starter, senior guard Jermaine Dixon, is out until mid-September with a foot injury.

The game against Wichita State was no gimme in the CBE, but it becomes even more difficult to have  a chance at Texas.

What the loss of Brown does, is it opens the door for two players in particular at the spot. Sophomore Nasir Robinson and freshman Lamar Patterson will have more opportunities to play early.

More likely, it means Pitt could go with a 3-guard lineup a lot more frequently. Brad Wanamaker playing as a wing guard, or Pitt could go very small at times up front with a mix of guards Chase Adams, Jermaine Dixon, Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs. In some cases extremely small and perimeter based if Adams, Woodall and Gibbs were out there together — spread the floor and get the open 3?

Well, the basketball team this offseason was being too positive I guess. This is a big slap of reality in the face.

For Adam Gunn, apparently this was one of those times.

Gunn’s attorney, Tim Dawson, said by e-mail that his client “issued a formal apology for his conduct, and given the fact that he employed no weapons, assaulted nobody and simply attempted to flee the scene, the (Pittsburgh) Police were willing to drop all charges.”

Gunn can now be reinstated to the team (and there seems little doubt he will be).

He still has to deal with the fact that in running, he could not clear the a parking lot chain. Either very drunk or absolutely no vertical.

This also means Pitt will be losing some points in the Fulmer Cup.

Several little things to get out.

A story on incoming freshman Talib Zanna’s journey from Nigeria to the United States. Go figure, it was not an easy thing. Even coming from a well-educated family, Nigeria is a mess and his father passed away this past year.

A nasty mess brewing at the Kiski school where 2010 verbal commit Isiah Epps might prep (unlikely now).

A coach hired to take the basketball program of an Indiana County private school to national prominence sued Monday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, claiming he was forced out for recruiting too many black players.

Anthony Cheatham, 31, of Edgewood claims administrators at The Kiski School told him they would not tolerate fielding an all-black lineup.

“He was told to recruit scholastic, highly talented basketball players,” said Cheatham’s attorney Sam Cordes.

Cheatham was an assistant at Robert Morris and also trains future and present NBA players including Sam Young. Messed up stuff.

I really don’t think Coach Dixon is sweating his annual NCAA Recruiting exam.

“You can’t recruit until you pass it,” Dixon said hours before the Erie Chapter of the Panthers Club’s annual sports banquet at the Kahkwa Club on Tuesday.

With college basketball coaches being able to start summer recruiting next month, passing the test now is a must for them.

“I’ve never failed the test,” said a smiling Dixon, whose team won a school-record 31 games in reaching the Elite Eight last season before losing to Villanova.

Dixon said the coaches have 90 minutes to take the test and must score 80 percent.

It’s an open book test, but the rules are lengthy and not so easy to figure out.

“Open book” being the key aspect.

To help pass the time of the offseason, one of my colleauges at FanHouse has prepared a list of the top-25 college basketball coaches.

He places Jamie Dixon at #17. I only quibble that Dixon should be about one spot higher, because he has overrated Matt Painter of Purdue. Painter is good and may merit being up there in a few years, but not yet does he rank #14.

By the time the Tim Floyd and the USC mess is finished, the Trojan job will be one of the most unattractive spots out there. Thus making the inevitable rumors that will occur after Floyd is fired regarding Dixon just silly. Really, shedding players and recruits at an epic pace. Floyd just seems clueless to his culpability.

“Kansas has two players who would have been NBA lottery picks, Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, and they are returning to school,” USC Coach Tim Floyd said late Monday night, only hours after hearing about Johnson. “Good for them.

“Our guys get an offer from Islamabad and they’re gone.”

Let’s see. Collins and Aldrich are at Kansas where they have a shot at winning the national championship in 2010. They are on a stable team with a coach that has won and put players in the NBA.

Floyd and USC recruit hoping the glamor and location will get the kids, and the main promise seems to be that they will be able to get a future paycheck for playing basketball. The team has little shot at even contending for the Pac-10 next year.

Then there is that whole NCAA investigation hanging over the program; a coach that nearly bailed for Arizona — after previously telling a recruit that he wouldn’t like it if the recruit looked at other schools after giving a soft verbal; to say nothing of that the kids that want to bail ASAP were the ones the coach recruited and presumably knew what they were looking for.

Adam Gunn has had his preliminary hearing continued for a week. It was scheduled for today, but it will be next Thursday instead. Austin Ransom’s hearing was continued as well.

The extra details of the event — from the police report — don’t make it any worse than expected. Just a lot more embarrassing for Gunn.

Gunn and a group of other men were attempting to cut the line at Club Zen late Saturday night. Police officers escorted the group away from the line and threatened to arrest them if they came back.

Gunn then circled around and got in front of one of the officers. When the officer tried to arrest him, Gunn “pulled away and spun around swinging” before he took off running through the Station Square parking lot. Police caught him when he tripped on a chain in the parking lot.

As one officer was trying to handcuff Gunn, Ransom ran up and swung at the officer. Ransom then fought with two other officers before they arrested him.

While that was occurring, one of the other men in the group – Anthony Coleman – challenged one of the officers to a fight. He also resisted arrest and broke one of the officer’s badges off of his shirt. Coleman was Tasered and arrested.

It also seems that Gunn got the taser as well.

This is not “kick off the football team” worthy. It’s a safe bet to assume that the final disposition will be lower. Small comfort right now.

He apparently started serving the suspension a couple days earlier. Of course, Pitt was not going to voluntarily release the information until the story got out there.

“On Monday morning I met with Adam Gunn to discuss his involvement in a weekend incident that occurred off campus,” the cooach said in statement issued by the university. “At the conclusion of our discussion, I told Adam he would be suspended from our team pending the resolution of this matter.

“This incident is both surprising and disappointing. Adam has always been a strong representative of our program and his involvement in this type of situation is very out of character. However, he knows and respects the fact that every member of our team must be accountable for their actions.”

What? No Twitter update from Coach Wannstedt on this?

Of course, we know what the “incident” was. Mildly surprised no mention of former Pitt players being involved is ignored in both stories.

“Resolution” of course could come quickly with the hearing tomorrow. Or it could take a few months. It just has not been a good May for Pitt football.

And this is why I don’t gloat too much over the offseason embarrassments at other programs.

Adam Gunn got the rare 6th year of eligibility.  He’s coming back from a freak injury that broke his neck. He has big plans for the future.

He’s on track to earn his master’s in public administration this December and is already working to start his own charitable foundation for underprivileged children. He envisions a Make-A-Wish type organization where kids who show promise and responsibility get to live out their sports dreams, which will hopefully in turn inspire their peers to pursue the right paths.

“I hope it turns into something national,” Gunn said. “I’m in a position in my life now where I can impact lives, and I want to take advantage of that.”

And late Saturday night/Sunday morning he was entered into the court system as a defendant.

The charges listed:

• Resisting arrest
• Failure to disperse
• Disorderly conduct
• Public drunkeness

According to the docket sheet, Gunn’s preliminary hearing is Thurday, May 14th.

I can only imagine the fun at the Gunn house on Sunday morning for Adam. Especially with a hangover

This has been a less than stellar offseason for Pitt football. Lots of little, stupid crap that just adds up.

I guess after the judicial process runs its course we will find out how Coach Wannstedt addresses this latest hit.

UPDATE: It was not just Gunn. Former Pitt player (graduated) Austin Ransom is involved. He has the same charges, but also  Aggravated Assault tacked on for good measure.

The other name that is apparently involved in the same altercation is Kashif Henderson. I can’t say I knew that name. Turns out he is another former Panther who graduated in 2008. Even was honored for his good grades that year.

Did Jonathan Baldwin think he was in a Rat Pack movie or something?

…charged with indecent assault for allegedly slapping then groping the behind of a female student, but campus officials aren’t commenting on the charges.

A criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press shows 19-year-old Jonathan Baldwin is charged with indecent assault, harassment and disorderly conduct. Campus police say the woman complained of the alleged assault April 18 and charges were filed the next day. Baldwin faces a preliminary hearing May 27.

That was good for 4 points in the Fulmer Cup — at this time. If this gets resolved, I think Baldwin should be required to wear this t-shirt for the first week of practice in August.