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From the clarion liar:


May 2, 2006

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Suspended MSU players will be eligible for season opener

By Ian R. Rapoport
irapopor@clarionledger.com


STARKVILLE — The six suspended Mississippi State football players will be eligible for the season opener, coach Sylvester Croom announced in a statement today.

Croom had punished cornerback Derek Pegues and safety Keith Fitzhugh, both starters; offensive tackle Michael Gates, quarterback Tray Rutland, and defensive ends Charles Burns and Quinton Wesley for their role in an April 2 altercation.

The six players were charged with assaulting Starkville police officer Demetric Armstead, who was off duty, during a fight at a downtown business.

They were placed on "indefinite" suspension, which forced them to miss the spring Maroon & White game, among other penalties. He had been waiting until the issue resolved itself in court to make his final decision on their eligibility.

On Thursday, all six players saw their charges reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, according to their lawyer Jay Perry. They pleaded guilty, paid a $500 fine and received six-month suspended sentences on the reduced charge.

Croom ended the matter with his announcement.

"The legal system has worked, and our players have been penalized by the court," Croom said in a statement released by the school. "They have each paid a hefty fine and essentially they are on probation for two years."

The players had been banished from football-related activities through the spring. Additionally, they were banned from going to functions at the site of the incident, Level III in Starkville. They also faced an 11 p.m. curfew and on-campus sensitivity training.

It all ends when football practice begins in August. They will be eligible for the Aug. 31 opener on ESPN against South Carolina.

"When they report back to campus this summer, the suspension will be lifted," Croom said.

boy...Croom is a freaking joke. Not b/c this isn't expected in NCAA football, but b/c of all the, now obviously, $#!+ he preached!

I am a State Fan, but go figure

camlock wrote:boy...Croom is a freaking joke. Not b/c this isn't expected in NCAA football, but b/c of all the, now obviously, *!@#@* he preached!

did anyone ever REALLY take croom seriously ? heck, he's always been a joke to me.... all bark no bite....

on a side note, heck, at least Jamal Pittman got a 6 game suspension and ken bournes kicked off for their misdemeanors

What a shocker!!

Despite all the proclamations about how MSU is different, and what a discipliarian he is, in reality Croom does not have the luxury of being a strong disciplinarian. He has little quality depth ---certainly not enough to absorb a hit of losing that many key players for any amount of games. And MSU starts off with South Carolina, a tough SEC game they need to win if they are to have any hope of achieving a winning season. Croom needs to start winning as the MSU faithful are growing restless. So, the necessity of the situation trumps Croom's previous proclamations of being "Mr. Discipline". Entirely predictable.

Hopefully, he will not continue to publicly spew this hypocritical rhetoric in the face of his continuing actions to the contrary. One would hope some early lessons have been learned about getting too sanctimonious.

Would Bear Bryant have suspended these guys for a few games. Absolutely. But, Croom is no Bear Bryant, and he doesn't have Bear's talent or depth either, which gives one the luxury of being more sanctimonious.

RebelYelp wrote:

camlock wrote:boy...Croom is a freaking joke. Not b/c this isn't expected in NCAA football, but b/c of all the, now obviously, *!@#@* he preached!

did anyone ever REALLY take croom seriously ? heck, he's always been a joke to me.... all bark no bite....

on a side note, heck, at least Jamal Pittman got a 6 game suspension and ken bournes kicked off for their misdemeanors

BUT they had GUNS!!!!!

Just beating them to it....

Its funny how you guys automatically know these guys personnally and can judge them based on what you've read in the newspapers. You don't even stop to take into consideration that Croom might actually know these players and their past histories, and based his decision on what he knows about the players personnally. Why not let the courts decide the punishment, isn't that what the justice system is for? You guys sure are quick to jump to conclusions on situations you have no clue about. Just like the fraternity fight discussion, no one really knows what happened unless you were there. Do I think Croom might be easing up some? Maybe, but I wouldn't take it to imply that he is reversing himself to the extent that he'll totally abandon his philosophy and how manages a team. To tell you the truth how bad was the beating really? If six guys really "ganged up" on this cop then he wouldn't have been able to walk away from the party, much less go get his cop buddies. I would doubt it if all of them even got a lick in.

I tried to tell you all this was going to happen when the incident made the papers. There would be no dismissal or game suspensions handed out, especially the possible three starters.

As of right now, Brent Schaeffer could get away with murder when he steps foot on UM's campus cause Zero can't afford to suspend him or penalize him for ANYTHING !!!

the american negro is more dangerous and unpredictable. than the bengal tiger from india

I don't recall ever condemning and passing judgment on the "Starkville 6". Go back and read the thread about it after it occurred. I thought the UM fans on the board showed a lot of restraint, given the potential entertainment value of the situation.

And if Croom had not been publicly spouting off about what a "disciplinarian" he is and how different he is from the other coaches in the league in this regard, then I probably would not be commenting much on the lack of any real punishment given to these guys by Croom. But, under the circumstances, he does appear to say one thing, and do another. This seems to be a trend with Croom. He does the same thing in recruiting ---condemns the process, but then seems to be using the same process to his advantage now after competitive pressure.

I think Croom came into this job with certain idealistic goals and ideas about how things should be done. He voiced those publicly and rather sanctimoniously. Now, out of necessity, he is having to compromise those same beliefs. He is learning how hard it is to be a head coach in the SEC, with the constant pressure to win. He had a 2-3 year grace period due to the probation, but at some point the MSU supporters expect him to win games. If he does not win more than he loses this season, he will be on the proverbial "hotseat". And coaches on the hotseat cannot afford the luxury of idealism.

the american negro is more dangerous and unpredictable. than the bengal tiger from india

Thats funny

coach croom make approx $1,000,000 per year to coach football in starkville ms... bwbwawbbwaaaa.. thats the biggest hypcoprisy of them all

i never said anything about the 6, rather, referred to croom after he came in pistols a blazin talkin about how he was a disciplinarian, new sherriff in town, etc.... was just making a point that he did just what every other coach in America does... now... do i think he's easing up ? the guys pled guilty... a game or two suspension probably won't hurt them, i would say that more than that would probably be harsh, but they have basically gotten a slap on the wrist....

Coach croom probably knows more about this than any of us.I never thought they would miss a game so I am not suprised at all.I think it would have been easier to suspend them then he would have a reason in case we drop that opener to South Carolina.

These guys were convicted of a crime. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Nick Turner wasn't even convicted, and he sure as hell got the boot. Go get em Sly!!

mottlet