Sunday Morning Quarterback

Sunday, December 11, 2005

THE RAP SHEET, INTRASPORT EDITION
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Wherein SMQ chronicles eligibility-crippling issues, legal, academic, institutional and otherwise...

First, it should be a crime that SMQ is toiling away with stat sheets and nerdy will to provide hard-hitting analysis while EDSBS gains plaudits by linking to top flight football-related cheesecake. *shaking obsessive-compulsive fists in the direction of Florida*

Now on to actual crimes and misdemeanors...

Athletes send nasty e-mail! More trouble at CU, this time, incredibly, not involving Gary Barnett. Instead, one of Barnett's players, tackle Clint O'Neal, along with his cross country-running girlfriend, Jackie Zeigle, has been suspended from the CU sports program for sending a racist, "typo-filled" letter to a Hispanic cross country runner who was "obsessed" with Zeigle:
The e-mail included a reference to dragging the man behind a car, recalling a case in 1998 in Jasper, Texas, when a black man was dragged to his death. The two athletes were cited for harassment and ethnic intimidation.

A news release from athletic department director Mike Bohn on Sunday announced the suspension of offensive tackle Clint O'Neal and Jackie Zeigle's decision to leave the cross-country and track teams, but did not mention the e-mail.

A police report said O'Neal and Zeigle, who are both white, sent the typo-filled message to Greg Castro. It called Castro a "river rat" and "border hopper." The message suggested O'Neal would drag Castro behind his car.

O'Neal, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound senior from Weatherford, Texas, was suspended for violation of team and athletic department rules. Bohn did not say how long the suspension would last. Colorado plays Clemson in the Champ Bowl on Dec. 27.

He said Zeigle, a junior from South Jordan, Utah, had told the university she was quitting the program for personal reasons.

Bohn said privacy rules prevented the disclosure of any other information in the case other than to say the decision on O'Neal was made after several meetings over the past few days.
[...]
Police said O'Neal told them he was upset after his team lost the Big 12 Championship game 70-3 to Texas. He told Zeigle to use his account and write the message. Zeigle told police she was retaliating against her teammate because he is obsessed with her and harasses her.

Police said Castro told them he felt threatened by the message and slept at a friend's house. He told the Daily Camera he doesn't harass Zeigle.
Would the e-mail be justified if Castro did harass Zeigle? Maybe there really is something in the water in Boulder...

Next we have more intra-sport trouble out West, this time involving UCLA kicker Justin Medlock, who was arrested early Sunday on "investigation" of drunken driving (huh? only on "investigation"?) and felony hit-and-run after he left the scene of an accident that left the women's golf team member riding with him with "major" spinal cord injuries:
The 22-year-old junior was suspended indefinitely from the team and will not play Dec. 30 in the Sun Bowl, coach Karl Dorrell said Sunday in a statement.

Medlock was driving a 1998 Toyota pickup on the San Diego Freeway about 3 a.m. Saturday with 20-year-old UCLA golfer Hannah Jun in the passenger seat when he hit a call box and the truck flipped over, said Officer Tariq Johnson, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officers found the truck with only Jun inside, and later found Medlock walking on an Inglewood street about a mile and a half from the scene, Johnson said.

Medlock was arrested Saturday for investigation of driving under the influence resulting in injuries, having a blood alcohol level above 0.8, and felony hit-and-run.

He was released after posting a $10,000 bond.

The CHP said Jun was left with "major" spinal cord injuries, but the UCLA statement said she did not require surgery and was expected to make a full recovery.

Medlock was the Bruins' No. 1 kicker and second-leading scorer with 89 points.
Parents of SMQ are proven right again: nothing good happens after midnight, kids. This is what happens when you hang around the bar too long instead of just heading back to the dorm to get your ultra-competitive freak on already.
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Permalink

9:52 PM

Comments:

You gotta admit, that was some mighty fine cheesecake that Orson linked to. Too many stats can make you squinty-eyed.

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:13 PM

Ass. It's one of the fundamentals, Matt. It would only be a crime if we claimed to have the inches and the girth stats-wise like you do, which we don't.

We do, however, have pictures of skanky FSU girls on tap. Not even our cup of tea, mind you.

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:30 AM