FC: Not good on Rasheed Walker

[Madsol]

What part of "of any value" don't you understand? Other than a laptop, a bicycle is the most important possession for many students. You think it's fine to have football players walking around campus or town thinking "Hey, I need that. I'm gonna take it."? How's that going to work out?

He will be punished by the University for this whether we like it or not.

Huh? You completely moved the goalposts. You said any Penn State student who steals anything of any value from another Penn Dtate student should be suspended for a semester. I commented on THAT idea. Now you're talking specifically about Walker's case. If guilty, he should be punished accordingly. But no, I do not believe he should be suspended for a semester. And that goes doubly for someone who steals a pen or a pencil.

 

[lionroar88]

Sanctimony implies hypocrisy. I can't speak for others, but you will find none of that in me. One of the reasons I never ran for judge, despite many suggestions that I do so, is that there would not be enough prisons to hold all the people I would sentence. I am not suggesting that he get jail time, but he needs to get a serious message that this football team will not tolerate this type of behavior. I will add that, having been around this board for a number of years, I have no doubt that if this 'taking" was done by a member of the Ohio State team, or Michigan, or Pitt, the condemnations would be loud and long. I will find it interesting to see how Franklin handles this.

And you would not have lasted very long as a judge passing out unjustified sentences, and most likely all of your judgements would have been tossed by higher courts.

It was a god forsaken misdemeanor! These 'issues' should be handled within the team, and I can assure you Franklin has already addressed it with Mr Walker. He doesn't owe you, or anyone else (outside the university) an explanation as to how he handled it... sorry.

Seriously? Because everybody steals things, and everybody kills people.... are you Terrell Pryor?

WOW... just f'ing WOW.

He didn't kill anyone, and he didn't 'steal' anything, nor did he sell stolen property. I've had at least 2 bikes stolen over my life time, and all of them worth a hell of a lot more than $150. Only once did I have the bike 'locked' and it wasn't with an anti-theft wheel lock. If I leave my bike unattended it is now locked with 2 anti-theft wheel locks - one for the front, one for the back... and those 2 locks cost less than $40 each. If the damn bike was so important to its owner, they would have secured the damn thing. It is a university, full of KIDS, kids do stupid shit, live with it.

What do you think should happen to the fraternity brothers were Piazza died? Their inaction potentially led to a pledge's death. What about the football staff at UMD? Their inaction potentially led to the death of one of their players?

Yeah - let's throw the kid in jail for a year for 'borrowing' an unsecure bike...

 

[Ranger Dan]

he didn't 'steal' anything,

Since when does taking property that isn’t yours, without permission, not qualify as stealing? Maybe if he returned it the next day you could argue it was unauthorized borrowing. I never said throw him off the team, but he did commit a crime.

 

[BBrown]

Since when does taking property that isn’t yours, without permission, not qualify as stealing? Maybe if he returned it the next day you could argue it was unauthorized borrowing. I never said throw him off the team, but he did commit a crime.

SMH at some of the rationalization I am seeing by some posters. Just wow.

 

[fairgambit]

And you would not have lasted very long as a judge passing out unjustified sentences, and most likely all of your judgements would have been tossed by higher courts.

It was a god forsaken misdemeanor! These 'issues' should be handled within the team, and I can assure you Franklin has already addressed it with Mr Walker. He doesn't owe you, or anyone else (outside the university) an explanation as to how he handled it... sorry.

Unless you are an attorney I would suggest that I know a bit more about the legal system than you do, having practiced in it for over 4 decades. I never suggested I would "pass out unjustified sentences". A trial judge is given wide discretion in sentencing and I would be the type of judge that typically handed out harsher sentences within the guidelines.

As for Franklin not owing an explanation, that might have worked in the 1950's. it will not work today. College football is a big business and the public believes they are entitled to know. They will find out, whether Franklin tells them or not.

 

[NittPicker]

Unless you are an attorney I would suggest that I know a bit more about the legal system than you do, having practiced in for over 4 decades.

Uh oh. The "I'm an attorney, therefore I'm smarter than you" refrain has reared it's ugly head.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Uh oh. The "I'm an attorney, therefore I'm smarter than you" refrain has reared it's ugly head.

To be fair, he was saying that unless 88 was an attorney, he knew more about the legal system. I’m not sure that is worthy of debate.

 

[fairgambit]

Uh oh. The "I'm an attorney, therefore I'm smarter than you" refrain has reared it's ugly head.

I never said I was smarter than anyone. I said "I would suggest I know a bit more about the legal system than you do, having practiced in it for over 4 decades".

 

[fairgambit]

He didn't kill anyone, and he didn't 'steal' anything, nor did he sell stolen property. I've had at least 2 bikes stolen over my life time, and all of them worth a hell of a lot more than $150. Only once did I have the bike 'locked' and it wasn't with an anti-theft wheel lock. If I leave my bike unattended it is now locked with 2 anti-theft wheel locks - one for the front, one for the back... and those 2 locks cost less than $40 each. If the damn bike was so important to its owner, they would have secured the damn thing. It is a university, full of KIDS, kids do stupid shit, live with it.
What do you think should happen to the fraternity brothers were Piazza died? Their inaction potentially led to a pledge's death. What about the football staff at UMD? Their inaction potentially led to the death of one of their players?
Yeah - let's throw the kid in jail for a year for 'borrowing' an unsecure bike...

If he took the bike, of course he stole something. That's why one of the counts is theft. Neither Dan, nor I, suggest he do jail time.

Thank you for raising the "blame the victim defense". Someone always does.
It's also good to raise the "deflection defense" (Piazza and UMD, neither of which is relevant to this case). These rarely work in a court of law, and seldom work in the court of public opinion, but it's always good to get them out there.

 

[Alphalion75]

Well actually yes.

Just need clarification.

legally speaking, yes.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Grand_Theft_vs_Petty_Theft

Legally speaking.

 

[Woodpecker]

It just bothers me that he valued a bike more than playing on the team.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

It just bothers me that he valued a bike more than playing on the team.

I doubt that. In this case he gave the act no thought, or thought about it and was certain that he would not get caught. Maybe he did something similar before and got away with it.

Either way, this was a mental lapse. It doesn't bode well for someone intending to play a cerebral position, such as OL.

 

[sluggo72]

I'll see your freshman bike and raise you a set of brass knuckles !!!

While not completely unprecedented, at least one component of the latest incident to trigger a resetting of the “Days Without An Arrest” ticker is certainly unique.

According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Texas Tech wide receiver Myller Royals was arrested on a pair of misdemeanor charges following a traffic stop executed by university police officers Friday night. Specifically, Royals was charged driving with an invalid license and possession of a prohibited weapon.

The prohibited weapon? Brass knuckles.

“He’s still on the team,” a Tech spokesperson told the Avalanche-Journal. “It’s being handled internally, between him and coach [Kliff] Kingsbury.

Royals was a three-star signee who enrolled early as part of the Red Raiders’ 2018 recruiting class. He has yet to see any type of in-game action as a true freshman this season, and was set to take a redshirt even before this off-field incident.

 

[David1956]

Yeah - let's throw the kid in jail for a year for 'borrowing' an unsecure bike...

You are joking? I hope so.

Here is what I would tell my son, if he did something like this -- " I am ashamed of you and I feel awful that I raised a thief." Old school? You betcha. But that is what my father, mother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members would say as well.

 

[David1956]

It just bothers me that he valued a bike more than playing on the team.

Me too. This is a learning moment for him. Some lessons come at a high price. I imagine James Franklin will act like a coach and a father. If I were young Mr. Walker I would be more scared of the consequences of Coach Franklin taking the actions of a father.

 

[mfb5053]

This story sounds like the beginning of “Pee-Wees Big Adventure.”

 

[lionroar88]

If he took the bike, of course he stole something. That's why one of the counts is theft. Neither Dan, nor I, suggest he do jail time.

Thank you for raising the "blame the victim defense". Someone always does.
It's also good to raise the "deflection defense" (Piazza and UMD, neither of which is relevant to this case). These rarely work in a court of law, and seldom work in the court of public opinion, but it's always good to get them out there.

Fortunately I do not have much experience with our judicial system, and I do understand judges are granted some leniency regarding sentencing, but your response indicated you would have a tendency to go too far - and that is a major problem within our judicial system, we're locking certain people up for crimes that when another segment of society commits the same crime they are fined and sent home.

Sorry that I don't feel locking people up for 'stealing' an unsecure bicycle is the proper course of action, nor do I feel tossing them out of school, nor kicking them off the football team is just punishment either. I'm fairly certain Franklin is mature enough to handle this situation internally and not through the media.

My point about Piazza and UMD are relevant. In the Piazza case many people on this forum felt the brothers were being treated too harshly, yet they want Durkin fired for what happened at UMD, and they now want Walker tossed off the team... extreme double standards. Mostly because they are fraternity brothers who view brothers are treated different vs the rest of the student body... I get that... and in some cases that is true. I felt there was more to the story, and turns out there was, and they weren't being treated like other 18 - 20 yo college students. And I feel the same here, Walker is a football player and he is definitely being singled out... think I'm wrong? Well I had a Mtn Bike stolen while I was at Behrend in 1995, guess what happened to guy who 'stole' it? Nothing. He left the bike outside his apartment and campus police found it and returned it to me... and told me "You don't want it to happen again, put a lock on it." Message was received and I started locking my bike while on campus. Not hard.

You are joking? I hope so.

Here is what I would tell my son, if he did something like this -- " I am ashamed of you and I feel awful that I raised a thief." Old school? You betcha. But that is what my father, mother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members would say as well.

That was sarcasm... My father would have given me a lecture if I had been the one 'stealing' or the one dumb enough not to lock my bike while on campus... and the lectures would have been as stern as the other. But I can say, he would have never said he was ashamed of me... disappointed - yes, ashamed - nope.