Ole Miss Coach Tries to Liven Up the SEC/Big East Invitational by Getting Arrested for Assault

Tonight at 9 pm he has to face Louisville in Cincinnati for the SEC/Big East Invitational. This game was not looking like a particularly attractive game after the injuries Ole Miss has sustained. Now, it looks like this game got a lot more interesting for reasons that have nothing to do with the actual game.

Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy spent a four years as an assistant at Cincinnati under Bob Huggins, and a year as Cinci's interim head coach. Apparently he learned much from Bob Huggins, including behavior that would be considered anti-social, at best.

Cincinnati Police say 40 year old Andy Kennedy punched 25 year old cab driver Jiddou Mohammed Ould in the face with a closed fist while shouting racial slurs. The assault happened in the 500 block of Walnut Street in Downtown Cincinnati at 1 a.m. The police report states that there was an unrelated witness who saw the incident.

Kennedy was charged with misdemeanor assault and has a court appearance this afternoon. There is no indication as to whether Kennedy was intoxicated or not -- though, being out at 1 am in Cinci on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning suggests he might have had a few.

The use of racial slurs while swinging on the cabbie is going to be the bigger issue for Kennedy. Assault and perhaps being drunk is one thing. Racial epithets are something completely different for any public figure. Especially an employee at a public university.

UPDATE (12:33): A commenter left a link to a blog post from Cincinnati Enquirer columnist, Paul Daugherty. In the comments, the Daugherty suggests that this might be one big non-story with Kennedy having several witnesses corroborating his version of events.
UPDATE (12:42): Kennedy pleads not guilty to the charges, and while Andy Kennedy may have been sober, one of his party apparently was not.

Reports state [director of basketball operations William] Armstrong, 31, was drunk and thrown out of the Lodge Bar downtown early this morning.

After that, he and Kennedy got a cab. A report says Armstrong taunted the driver "in which his conduct was likely to cause a violent response."

Developing...

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-18-2008 @ 12:20PM

Mike said...

I'm sure you saw this as an opportunity to crack some jokes and spread some rumors, but you may need to wait until all the facts come out. If this account proves true, can I trust you'll issue an apology?

*Yep, actually talked to Someone Who Would Know just a few minutes ago. He said the cabbie dropped a racial slur on a member of Andy's party as they got into the cab... AK and his four companions, all his assistant coaches, got out of the cab and hailed another. As they were on their way back to their hotel, cops pulled them over and charged AK with assault.

My source said AK assaulted no one and has 4 eyewitnesses to swear to it. Given what I know of Kennedy from having covered him as a head coach and as Huggins' top assistant, I believe this account.*

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=c77145f462c74fa0ac03babe03d1a7e3&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3ac77145f462c74fa0ac03babe03d1a7e3Post%3aa98131e9-7af6-4241-8f64-3616e649910e&sid=sitelife.cincinnati.com

12-18-2008 @ 12:25PM

Chas Rich said...

What rumor did I spread? A news report from a TV station that I quoted?

I hope it is untrue. Not because I know Andy Kennedy, but because something like this could completely derail if not destroy a young career.

12-18-2008 @ 4:02PM

terry said...

Duke lacrosse taught some people nothing about life and people but then again this is a time warner company

12-18-2008 @ 9:13PM

"There is no indication as to whether Kennedy was intoxicated or not -- though, being out at 1 am in Cinci on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning suggests he might have had a few."

Did the TV Station report that? As conflicting stories are starting to come out from credible sources, your headline and innuendo are looking more like eggs headed for your face. The Duke Lacrosse incident is a perfect analogy for this situation.

Joe said...

I concur with Mike above. The suggestions that Coach AK may have been drinking, and that an "unrelated" witness might corroborate the cabbie's version skew your report. The incident is news-worthy, but in light of subsequent comments, it is premature to question the sobriety and discretion of the coach.

12-18-2008 @ 9:15PM

You are right. The Lodge is just a coffee shop. Yeah, that's it.