FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[edward de vere]

Also, a note of caution:  As I understand it (thankfully not from first-hand knowledge) it is ROUTINE to overcharge, so that plea bargains can be made and thereby prevent cases from coming to trial in an extraordinarily overloaded court system.

All the references I see say that 90% - yes, 90% - of cases are decided by plea bargain, not by trial.  So, OF COURSE, prosecutors are incentivized to overcharge at the start.

Again, just a note of caution, as I have no idea of any of the details of Fulford's case.

[edward de vere]

And there is something else to consider as a POSSIBILITY:  What if Mount decided after the Namdar case to go, whenever REASONABLE, with the "innocent until proven guilty" methodology?

(I'm just throwing a few things out there.  If I had to bet, I'd say Fulford is holding a clipboard tomorrow, if for no other reason than to give Mount more time to get a handle on the situation.)

"Innocent until proven guilty" vs. "playing for Mount is a privilege, not a right" is NOT an easy decision in the abstract.  Details, WHICH WE DON'T HAVE, are important.

[Desertraider]

Absolutely correct on plea bargain. But normally they add charges to the primary charge and the plea bargain is an offer to drop those. Example: Assault, Battery, Unlawful imprisonment. The UI because they grabbed the person and threw them in the car and then assaulted them etc. The main charge(s) are Assault and Battery - UI is added and carries additional x years. But accept the guilty plea and we drop UI and recommend minimum sentence.

Better example is a car chase and drugs found. 10 speeding charges (1 for each zone and/or jurisdiction), X #red light violations, felony evading (1 for each jurisdiction), 5 counts of reckless op (1 for each time exceeded 20mph over speed limit), 2 counts resisting (1 for each officer who tried to apprehend), felony drug possession, trafficking (was bagged for resale), possession of drug paraphernalia. Plead out traffic violations, reckless op, paraphernalia and maybe trafficking gets plead to felony intent to distribute. Whatever. Point is the main charges are resisting, evading, drugs. The others get added to make a plea attractive.

I don't see any added stuff on this. It is a Felony charge for battery. Harder to plead down especially after he skipped out on court date. Not impossible - harder.

On the link to juvi - only a few (Fox 8, Review, and a couple others reference juvenile). But only a couple are using "hazing" tag. WKYC said they "have seen arrest documents" and reported it was felony battery - no mention of hazing.

As they say - more to come. Stay tuned. BTW: Playing - not just for Mount - for ANY college is a privilege as opposed to a right.

[WRMUalum13]

According to WKYC (29mins ago)

"According to Stark County authorities, Fulford was arrested following a traffic stop on Wednesday, in which it was discovered he has a warrant out for his arrest in Florida due to a charge of battery. The sophomore signal-caller is a native of Miramar, Fla.

After being released on $5,000 bond on Thursday, Fulford is expected to be extradited to Florida, but does not have to surrender until Dec. 20 and is free until then."

I know I will take heat on this - don't care. I am disappointed in the Mount statement. Fulford's status as a student should not change but he should be removed from extra curricular activities. Sorry. Namdar was removed from team activities before his trial - I believe he actually left Mount for a year and went back to Texas; Lattimore (RB) didn't play after his incident at the dorms and before his trial. Fulford should not be on the field tomorrow. Maybe he won't be.

***BTW - if it wasn't Lattimore that was drunk and broke the window at the dorm while threatening his girlfriend then I apologize to him, but I think it was

I believe it was Jeremy Murray

[Desertraider]

According to WKYC (29mins ago)

"According to Stark County authorities, Fulford was arrested following a traffic stop on Wednesday, in which it was discovered he has a warrant out for his arrest in Florida due to a charge of battery. The sophomore signal-caller is a native of Miramar, Fla.

After being released on $5,000 bond on Thursday, Fulford is expected to be extradited to Florida, but does not have to surrender until Dec. 20 and is free until then."

I know I will take heat on this - don't care. I am disappointed in the Mount statement. Fulford's status as a student should not change but he should be removed from extra curricular activities. Sorry. Namdar was removed from team activities before his trial - I believe he actually left Mount for a year and went back to Texas; Lattimore (RB) didn't play after his incident at the dorms and before his trial. Fulford should not be on the field tomorrow. Maybe he won't be.

***BTW - if it wasn't Lattimore that was drunk and broke the window at the dorm while threatening his girlfriend then I apologize to him, but I think it was

I believe it was Jeremy Murray

YES! I swear my mind - wow. MAJOR apologies to TJ Lattimore. Inexcusable of me to not verify that before tossing a name in. I actually posted something on that incident on here after it happened too. The discussion was, I believe, if personal issues like this should be discussed on a public board since they are really just kids. I said then and say now - Yes. It must be discussed. However - Desertraider - get your crap together and get the name right! Oh wait..I'm Desertraider. Got it. Thanks WRMUalum

[Desertraider]

Last comment for the night (I swear!!). Have to get up at 630 to get ready for drive to the game with my girls. D'Angelo sitting or playing is not about guilt or innocence. This is a major distraction - for him, the team, the coaches and the administration. I am sure his head may not be right because of all of it - heck his head should be swimming about now. I feel confident he has lost sleep, prep time, reps..etc. Maybe fallen behind on classes - sorry but assignments are still due. He is occupied with thinking about his future - literally. Mount wants to win - sure. But if he isn't all there - that can lead to far worse than a loss. Send a kid out there dealing with all of this and he gets injured, or seriously injured - "why was he even playing"?

I never viewed an athlete sitting for stuff like this as assuming he/she is guilty. I always saw it as what was best for team, best for the player and best for the school. At the end of the day - its only a game.

[theaprof]

According to WKYC (29mins ago)

"According to Stark County authorities, Fulford was arrested following a traffic stop on Wednesday, in which it was discovered he has a warrant out for his arrest in Florida due to a charge of battery. The sophomore signal-caller is a native of Miramar, Fla.

After being released on $5,000 bond on Thursday, Fulford is expected to be extradited to Florida, but does not have to surrender until Dec. 20 and is free until then."

I know I will take heat on this - don't care. I am disappointed in the Mount statement. Fulford's status as a student should not change but he should be removed from extra curricular activities. Sorry. Namdar was removed from team activities before his trial - I believe he actually left Mount for a year and went back to Texas; Lattimore (RB) didn't play after his incident at the dorms and before his trial. Fulford should not be on the field tomorrow. Maybe he won't be.

***BTW - if it wasn't Lattimore that was drunk and broke the window at the dorm while threatening his girlfriend then I apologize to him, but I think it was

I believe it was Jeremy Murray

YES! I swear my mind - wow. MAJOR apologies to TJ Lattimore. Inexcusable of me to not verify that before tossing a name in. I actually posted something on that incident on here after it happened too. The discussion was, I believe, if personal issues like this should be discussed on a public board since they are really just kids. I said then and say now - Yes. It must be discussed. However - Desertraider - get your crap together and get the name right! Oh wait..I'm Desertraider. Got it. Thanks WRMUalum

Lattimore's problems were significant, but different, and I won't go into them here.  If you want the details you will have to PM me.

[raiderpa]

Nasty weather forecast for today's game..
Rain throughout the day and wind gusting 30 to 40 reported by Cleveland media.
Washington and Lee is turning cartwheels somewhere.  hah

[HScoach]

I'll be shocked if he plays a down the rest of the season.  Some things are bigger and winning, and would consider the integrity of your program at the top of that list.

[skunks_sidekick]

I firmly believe in the "innocent until proven guilty" approach.  In these day & times, it seems like the PC thing to do is to overcharge, and then at some point later say never mind the offender will pay a fine & do 3 days picking up trash. 

I was 24 years old, working up in Cleveland while living in Louisville.  I got a speeding ticket on 480/14 near Ravenna on my way home one night.  Within a week after that, I moved over to Jackson Twnshp, and although I KNEW I had to take care of the ticket, I just put it in the out of sight, out of mind category (which was stupid & immature).  Flash forward TWO years later, I get pulled over for speeding in the speed trap known as "Hills & Dales".  Lo and behold, there is a warrant out from the Portage County court for non-appearance to face my speeding ticket.  Darn if they didn't hold me in the old Jackson police department until the Portage County sheriff came to get me.  Three hours later, I faced the judge & apologized profusely.  He shook his head, said pay the fine, and I was out of there.

The moral of the story is at his immature age, I can see Fulford adopting the out of sight, out of mind philosophy.  Is it mature, NOPE.  It is smart, NOPE.  And I do realize that this matter is more serious than a speeding ticket, but from personal experience I can see that as long as he didn't get any notices, etc., he just "hoped" the issue magically went away.

I would not be surprised if he plays today.  I think someone might have hit upon Mount's philosophy changing after the Namdar incident.  I am not lobbying for either way, but I can see both sides of the argument.  I do believe it he DOES play it doesn't tarnish Mount's reputation in any way, but that's just me.

[jknezek]

I'm sorry. But if you are dumb or immature enough to put a FELONY warrant out of sight out of mind you simply aren't ready for college. Maybe you will grow into your responsibilities and be ready for college later, but putting something that important into the I can't be bothered category is an indicator that your life still requires significant  adult supervision.

And that has nothing to do with whether he is guilty or not.

[hasanova]

I'm sorry. But if you are dumb or immature enough to put a FELONY warrant out of sight out of mind you simply aren't ready for college. Maybe you will grow into your responsibilities and be ready for college later, but putting something that important into the I can't be bothered category is an indicator that your life still requires significant  adult supervision.

And that has nothing to do with whether he is guilty or not.

Dumb and immature are traits all young men share, including me decades ago ... but never once did my immaturity cross over into anything requiring an arrest, a felony warrant and shirking my responsibility.  Yes, I believe in "innocent until proven guilty", but I also believe in life before football and the integrity of a 171 year old institution of higher learning.  The DIII nation is watching ... Fulford should be asked to focus solely on school and this legal matter first and, if exonerated or fairly adjudicated, come back to help his teammates next season.  If the Raiders win with Fulford under center, their victories will always come with asterisks in my mind.

[BrowardRaider]

Going to trust that VK & LK are better informed and make the best decision based on the facts. To add to the juvenile angle, a search of Broward County-Miramar is his hometown and surrounding counties Miami-Dade and Palm Beach reveal no such felony battery case on the clerk of courts' online docket. Juvenile criminal dockets are statutorily confidential and only viewable to the child, parent, guardian, attorney, select governmental officials or by court order. Has anyone actually seen the charge and more importantly the court that it's in front of? Obviously a huge difference between circuit criminal and juvenile court with respect to the entire process.

[edward de vere]

Going to trust that VK & LK are better informed and make the best decision based on the facts.

Bingo.  Based on his long history of demanding personal responsibility on the field and off the field, LK deserves the benefit of the doubt no matter the decision.  (And I'm assuming that ultimately it's HIS decision.)

[Craft_Beermeister]

Raining in Alliance. Not hard but steady. Water has already pooled on the field in several locations.