Illinois basketball player Jamar Smith was booked into the Champaign County Satellite Jail today, and he'll spend the next two weeks behind bars after agreeing to a deal to plead guilty to drunk driving charges. In exchange for the drunk driving plea, prosecutors dropped charges of running away from an accident.Two weeks in jail seems like an incredibly light sentence for a man who got very drunk, crashed his car, then ran into his home, leaving his unconscious passenger for dead. That passenger, teammate Brian Carlwell, suffered a severe concussion, and Smith did nothing to help him.
Illinois coach Bruce Weber released a statement saying, in part, "We will need time to examine the facts." That's an odd statement given that the facts have been clear for months. There's a growing public perception that Weber's program is out of control, and he needs to act swiftly to combat that perception.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-26-2007 @ 9:22AM
Chris Ksach said...
It really grates on my sensibilities when people the phrase
"the is a growing public perception"
to warrant their argument.
What they really mean to say is that I really have no hard evidence whatsoever that people believe the same as I do, but it will add crediblity to my argument if a say I do.
Get some evidence before you suggest that any sschool's program is "out of control."
crk
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6-07-2007 @ 6:23PM
kevin said...
I am going to back Bruce Weber. He is a guy with years of experience in college basketball. Some may say he is too lenient but I think he is a guy tha believes in giving young men a second chance with the understanding that they will have to walk the line and change their act. Think back, Luthor Head figured he was gone a few years back and even told the coach he understood if he were kicked off the club. Instead, Weber, and his coaching staff worked with him and turned him not only into a better basketball player but a better person. Now he is in the NBA with the Houston Rockets and was in the rookie all star game as a rookie and as a second year player. BUT, more importantly he has become a good ambassador for the rockets and the city of Houston.
I'm guessing that the higher ups at the U of I have since sat down and probably set up guidelines detailing punishments as well as dismissal for an athlete in the Illinois program.
Plus, people that are so quick to judge think about your college days. I'm sure most at one point (and most likely more) have been way past a legal limit to drive. Plus drank before they were 21. Granted Im guessing most didn't leave the scene of an accident yet alone a friend in the car but I would rather give a kid a second chance, especially one that hasn't been in trouble in the past, than dumping a kid and possibly ruining his life forever. Bruce will have a tight rein on him, if he stays at Illinois, you can bet on that.
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