Brandon Rush Arrested, Not Suspended

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After fighting back into the Kansas rotation following a pro-career-derailing knee injury, Brandon Rush was arrested yesterday on outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court for traffic violations. Rush was released on $500 bond yesterday.

Rush, who had come to court to take care of at least one of his traffic matters when he was arrested about 3 p.m., headed to Horejsi Center about 4 p.m., where he practiced with KU's team.

"We are disappointed because our players need to be more responsible when handling situations in dealing with the law. Brandon did not appear in court, therefore, this happened," said KU coach Bill Self, who indicated "any team punishment would be handled internally."

It doesn't look like Rush will be suspended, and will be able to play, and to that I say ... good for the Jayhawks? I know, it seems weird. You don't want to encourage lawless behavior, but a look at the two charges levied against Rush -- driving with a suspended license and without proof of insurance -- suggests a careless person rather than one with an outright disrespect for the law. The Jayhawks need to help Rush figure out that carelessness and tardiness don't sit well with judges. This might be his last chance.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-07-2007 @ 1:01PM

Ben Mitchell said...

Whether on purpose or not, you only listed part of why he was in court in the first place:

"LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Brandon Rush, the leading scorer the past two years for No. 3 Kansas, was arrested Thursday for failing to appear in court on traffic charges. He was released from jail after posting $500 bond.

Rush failed to appear in court on Nov. 28 on charges of driving with a suspended license and speeding on Oct. 19, and for driving on the wrong side of the road and having no proof of insurance stemming from a case in December 2006."

Charge #1: Speeding and suspended license. No biggie...everyone speeds. Doesn't list why it's suspended, so he gets the benefit of the doubt here.

Charge #2: Driving on the wrong side of the road (Reckless driving?) and no insurance. No doubt alcohol was involved in this one, and apparently the University forgot to pay his insurance bill.

I think the bigger story here is that we, as a sports fan nation, never heard about the original charges, specifically the reckless driving charge...and apparently was not disciplined for it then either. Free pass for you, Brandon.

12-07-2007 @ 1:45PM

Mike Payne said...

Ben Mitchell -
How can you be sure that alcohol was involved in Charge #2? College students do crazy and stupid stuff sometimes. Maybe he was goofing around with some buddies, or maybe it was as innocent as pulling over to the wrong side of the street to pick someone up. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions.