Csont'e York Dismissed From Football Program
Wide receiver Csont'e York, who faces multiple misdemeanor assault charges after punching a man outside of the Ann Arbor bar Scorekeeper's in July, is no longer a member of the football program, per the athletic department. Here's the release in full:
The following is a statement from University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke:
“Csont’e York has been dismissed from the Michigan football program. Representing the University of Michigan is a privilege and, while second chances are certainly deserved, sometimes it’s better for everyone if that happens somewhere else. Overall, I have been proud of how responsible our team has been this offseason and how hard they’ve worked to prepare for the season.”
York had previously been suspended indefinitely from team activities.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:31 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 7:37 PM ^
Once the video was released
August 18th, 2014 at 7:38 PM ^
August 19th, 2014 at 9:30 AM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 7:39 PM ^
that would've been some serious crap if he remained with the program.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:42 PM ^
Mr. York, I truly hope you're able to learn from this incident and are able to move forward with your life.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:46 PM ^
I hope he finds the help he needs to learn and grow as a person, and I hope that somehow he makes it right with his victim. But, his behavior deserves a strong consequence. I feel like his challenge will be to stand up and accountable for his behavior and grow from it. I hope that he does because it's not easy, even when you're at fault.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:48 PM ^
Hopefully he can learn from this unfortunate outcome.
I was one of the douchebags who commented negatively on the video post.
When I say out loud that someone needs to learn or understand that it's unacceptable to cold cock somebody else who, regardless of the verbal abuse, still has their hands in their front pockets, man I don't know....maybe no amount of admonition or lesson-learning is ever going to help. Good luck to you Mr. York.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:55 PM ^
18+ isn't a good line in the sand. I was pretty awful at decision making until about 25. A 19-20 year old should be held accountable for himself, but let's not go overboard. I'm sure he doesn't think what he did was the right thing to do, but in the heat of the moment with some booze, sometimes that good angel just doesn't speak as loudly.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:05 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:46 PM ^
Not fully able to think responsibly until age 26. Sounds about right.
August 18th, 2014 at 9:08 PM ^
we're just saying that if he was 26 and sober, the odds of this happening would be lower.
I watched some TV and a few movies this weekend. In some of the action movies, guys got in fights. No one broke a jaw or knocked out a few teeth with one punch. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, or can't happen, and I'm not blaming Hollywood. Back in the day, the sport of boxing didn't use gloves. Guys went 15-20 barenuckled rounds. So I think the chances of breaking someone's jaw with one punch are not as great as some would suggest. I think that the people that were quick to condemn York but let drunk drivers off the hook because of the difference in "intent" may want to re-examine their positions. There is nuance here. There are shades of gray. Was his intent to break the other person's jaw, or was it some 20 year old's drunken reasoning that he was somehow protecting his friend? If you are conditioned by television/movies to think that one punch might knock a guy out but not do any more damage than that, and your faculties/reasoning/inhibitions have been impaired by alcohol, maybe that mitigates his crime. He's still responsible, but then the next question to ask is what were the circumstances and do we lesson or increase the normal penalties? I don't know the answer. I wasn't there. 28 seconds of soundless video is not enough evidence for me to judge. We have seen how Hoke has doled out punishments in the past. From my vantage 2000 miles away, I think they have been just and reasonable. For him to dismiss York from the team suggests to me that there is more to the story than the 28 seconds, but I, like Brady, am willing to give the young man a second chance, somewhere else.
August 18th, 2014 at 10:10 PM ^
As a former Military Police I can assure you that jaws break quite easily. You don't have to be an MMA expert to throw a KO punch (but it helps). The fact that the victim was compleley unaware/unprepared had a lot to do with the outcome.
August 19th, 2014 at 9:12 AM ^
I agree that intent is not the issue here. This isn't "Minority Report".
Drunk Driving >>>>>>>>>> Punching Guy in Face
The repercussions of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated should be the end to your college football career. Just because the action you take (druck driving) doesn't have a 100% probability of hurting someone else doesn't mean you shouldn't be held responsible for your drastically stupid decision.
Is what York did stupid...absolutely. Was releasing him from the team appropriate...yes. I am sick, however, of kids making the arrogant choice of driving drunk and receiving only game suspension.
Intent isn't the issue. York knew the outcome of what he chose to do. Drunk drivers do not, which, in some ways is far worse. Falling asleep at just the wrong moment and T-boning a family of four....
In a way I feel bad for Csont'e York because there are many players around the country "getting away" with, in my opinion, much worse offenses. And while, again, I agree with his dismissal, it seems unfair that others don't recieve the same fate for their irresponsible choices.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:11 PM ^
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August 18th, 2014 at 8:19 PM ^
"Nothing good happens after midnight." ~ Herm Edwards
August 18th, 2014 at 8:49 PM ^
But man, those 5 things are EPIC!
/s
August 19th, 2014 at 12:49 AM ^
Wasn't his BAC less than half of the legal limit to drive? Unless he is a major lightweight booze wasn't that much of a factor. However he did have enough time to think before acting when he took a look around to see if anyone was watching before he sucker punched the guy.
August 19th, 2014 at 1:26 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 7:51 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 7:52 PM ^
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August 18th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^
for York's behavior and response in light of the video evidence seem incongruent. As a result, one is left with a limited conclusion about what transpired. And given that this verdict is not really based on completion of any legal process, other than what is presumed appropriate, York is now done as a Michigan athlete. I think for those who wanted immediate action, this suffices, given the fact that there wasn't any other real solution to mitigate the response except patience about the process.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:05 PM ^
Hoke's football program is not part of the legal process. They don't need to know everything. They are not obligated to wait. A few things are self-evident just from the video: York was not in any immediate danger, the victim was not being physically aggressive (though we don't know what he said) and York looked like a goddamned fool. With the football scholarship, Hoke & Co. are bestowing a privilege with the expectation of self-restraint. Even in the event York had a legit gripe against the guy he punched, that was not an appropriate way to handle it. He could be acquitted but you don't need to be guilty of a crime to be unworthy of wearing the winged helmet. The football scholarship is given with discretion; it's not an entitlement or a right.
Overall I think he handled things about right. Given Gibbons' investigation was re-opened due to a policy change, it made sense to wait for the findings and in the meantime (in the then-likely event Gibbons came through clean, since that's what happened the first time) keep the press off his back. I didn't like Lewan's on-field antics but when they saw it the refs threw the flag; what else are you gonna do? In this case the transgression was obvious so there's no need to wait for the legal system, but I'm not a fan of instant mob justice either. Not sure what changed between the video release and now, but if I was in charge I wouldn't make a snap decision either.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^
"Hoke's football program is not part of the legal process."
Those calling for the legal process to "play itself out" are missing the point. I don't think Hoke really had a choice, and quite frankly he'd have a lot of explaining to do (to the parents of recruits,for example) if he didn't make this decision.
August 18th, 2014 at 9:02 PM ^
August 19th, 2014 at 9:50 AM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 7:58 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:00 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:02 PM ^
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August 18th, 2014 at 8:03 PM ^
This does not sounds like lawyer-speak; but rather, Hoke-speak. "Some" is a word he uses a lot and I like that he appears to have written it, not some lair.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:05 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:29 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:34 PM ^
Now is the winter of Assault with Intent
Made more of a bummer by Csont'e York.
/Shakespeare'd
August 18th, 2014 at 8:53 PM ^
The summer poster and the sunshine Wolverine will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their team; but they that stand by it now, deserves the love and thanks of Michigan Man and Michigan Woman. Ohio State, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the greater the point spread, the more glorious the triumph.
/TomPaine'd
August 18th, 2014 at 8:35 PM ^
What determines the difference between an assault being a misdemeanor versus a felony?
August 18th, 2014 at 8:59 PM ^
I haven't practiced in Michigan (though I am a bar member there), but if memory serves me right the distinction tends to come down to extenuating circumstances such as prior convictions for assault, the type of victim (e.g. spousal abuse can increase the charge from misdemeanor to felony in certain circumstances), and if weapons or some other crime was involved, amongst other factors. My guess is this will be a misdemeanor if it is a first offense, but I'm not sure.
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(quscy255expa0l3zpcdi5mfx))/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-328-1931-xi.pdf
August 18th, 2014 at 10:19 PM ^
The resulting harm might enhance this to a felony assault. If they are pushing and shoving first and York delivers that blow it might be simple assualt. The fact that the victim was seemingly unaware and suffered a pretty significant injury that this looks like a felony. I'm not an attorney, but I am former LEO.
August 18th, 2014 at 9:12 PM ^
Redundant post saying the same thing as the post above.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:42 PM ^
Mostly I hope the victim is okay.
And then I do also hope York can turn it around, though it is the right call to dismiss him.
Interesting to note that Oklahoma chose a different path suspending Mixon for the season - he is charged with misdemeanor assault for punching a woman in the face.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^
Unsurprising. Hopefully he'll find a place to land where he can still thrive, and I do hope the full set of facts surrounding the incident come out at some point. Not that it would excuse the assault, but I feel like there are elements that were not captured in that video.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^
What Csonte did was really bad, no doubt - but I sincerely hope he has parents / relatives / authority figure to counsel him in this time. I don't want to see him on the streets in five years. I have utmost confidence in Brady that he will help this young man as one of his "sons".
August 18th, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 9:02 PM ^
That a coach or two, maybe even Hoke himself, has reached out to a few folks to see if they can find a place for him to land. I recall that after Trevor Pryce got into some trouble back in the early 90's and it was clear that his days were going to be numbered, there were some discrete moves to find him a place to land. There are a few programs out there headed up by coaches who sort of "specialize" in taking on this kind of thing and turning it into a positive. Given what York did, he may not end up at a D-I school right away, but he'll probably end up somewhere that will work for him.
Gotta say, I was dreading clicking this link and reading the comments. After the video was released, some of the reaction comments by the community were, shall we say... less than enlightened. But pretty much every comment above is even minded and reflective. These are the times that I actually feel pride for being part of this community. There was a while there where I felt like internet discourse would always go the way of Mlive comments.
August 18th, 2014 at 9:11 PM ^
In the 11W sister article they make a jab at Glaslow only getting a 1 game suspension implying that his punishment would have been more severe were he at OSU. This seems rather similar to the Carlos Hyde video minus the broken bones and a woman instead. Looks like these punishments paint a different picture.
August 18th, 2014 at 9:20 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 9:54 PM ^
I AM GROOT :(
August 18th, 2014 at 11:02 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 11:36 PM ^
From what I have read since the initial announcement, it is unfortunate for York that he let himself get into this unforgivable situation. I'm glad that Hoke waited until now to make his decision. Time to move on for both parties. Hopefully, York can mitigate the legal consequences and learn from it for the future.
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