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illinois
alex legion

My Name Is Alex Comment Count

Brian

alexlegionleavintheregion monty python god

This story is some sort of weird karma on a thousand different levels:

Illinois basketball player Alex Legion was arrested Monday night for driving on a suspended license.

An Illinois Department of Intercollegiate Athletics official said Legion’s license was suspended because of an unpaid moving violation ticket in Michigan. Legion is a native of Detroit.

You're probably well aware that Legion was Tommy Amaker's on-again-off-again-on-again-off-again final recruit, directed by God to go to Kentucky for a single semester and now a conscience-free midrange jumper specialist with the Illini.

But do you remember what happened a few years back after Illinois coach Bruce Weber was taking heat for the existence of Jamar Smith, Illini basketball player? Smith had nearly killed a teammate in a drunk-driving accident but remained on the Illinois team, prompting reporters to ask about it and Weber to act like a fool:

Weber also pointed out that “a kid in a program got arrested a couple weeks ago and he played in the next game.” Without naming him, Weber was referring to Michigan’s Lester Abram, who was stopped for speeding, then arrested for an outstanding warrant. That happened two days before Abram played for the Wolverines at Illinois.

“I don’t know if anything was talked about with him,” Weber said, his voice rising. “I don’t think so because I get a lot of feedback. You’re going to hold us to high standards but that kid got arrested and he played.”

In Bruce Weber's world a suspended license—which is what it was, Tupper made a minor error there—is a suspension-worthy crime on par with this:

Jamar Smith was the guy who drove his car into a tree, injuring teammate Brian Carlwell, who was a passenger. Oh, and Smith was drunk. Oh, and Smith believed that Carlwell was dead (he had a severe concussion), yet drove the car ... with Carlwell in it ... back home. Oh, and Smith went into his apartment, leaving Carlwell unconscious in his car.

Bound by infallible Logic, Weber has no choice but to do to Legion what he did to Smith: suspend him for the year and ship him to a directional Illinois school. Fret not, Alex Legion. God, unlike the Battlestar Galatica writers, has a plan. It involves the Missouri Valley Conference.

Comments

CarrIsMyHomeboy

April 20th, 2009 at 2:57 PM ^

Yeah, what the frack, Brian? The final episodes provided a beautiful coalescence of chaos. It was intelligent and well planned. Actually, insofar as I was ever concerned, the show had exactly one stark flaw (which--sci fi watchers should agree--is pretty impressive): the "uber-intelligent OMG shirtless cylons" rarely seemed more intelligent than the humans. But I diverge.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 7328

ssuarez

April 20th, 2009 at 1:26 PM ^

Always for talking about Alex Legions mom, and how she speaks to god about the final four, but the overall linkage of the stories is a bit forced...reminded me a bit of another very funny writer (Olbermann) that often calls on people to adhere to a standard that they previously set in order to prove that it was wrong, despite the fact that he vehemently disagrees with that standard.

Joined: 11/03/2008

MGoPoints: 1124

Other Chris

April 20th, 2009 at 1:51 PM ^

I'm just unclear on Brian's take. If someone says something stupid once about an only-tangentially related case, he is bound to stupidly apply the same penalty he once espoused? Or is it just that Weber has no room to criticize those that will criticize his decision (whatever it will be, you know folks will quibble). It just seemed like Brian was really reaching with this post. But hey, it's the off-season, so the pickings are slim.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 1219

umjgheitma

April 20th, 2009 at 1:42 PM ^

How did this guy play? I mean after reading that ESPN article ranking best draft picks of all time, I saw Bear Bryant benched Joe Namath twice for missing curfew and one of those games was the Sugar Bowl. What will they get away with next? Also, in that article it states Thurman Thomas started at RB for OK St. and then his back up of two years took over, a man named Barry Sanders. That's a coaching problem I'd like to have, who do I start? http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=ages3/090420

Joined: 12/02/2008

MGoPoints: 2388

wile_e8

April 20th, 2009 at 2:45 PM ^

Legion hasn't been punished yet, has he? I think it should be interpreted a little more like this: 1. Bruce Weber is a moran (sigh) for equating Lester Abram's offense with Jamar Smith's. 2. If they really are equal, Legion should receive the same punishment as Smith for doing the same thing Abram did.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 7381

Ernis

April 20th, 2009 at 3:23 PM ^

This is the sort of intellectual back-and-forth --holding public figures accountable for their words-- that once made Western civilization so great (among other things). Weber is trapped by his own web of stupidity. If he lets Legion off, then he reveals that his initial comparison between Abram and Smith was a completely baseless lie fabricated to make Smith's crime seem less severe. If Weber's statement was actually intended to convey his understanding of reality, then he has to suspend Legion because Legion's offense is identical to Abram's, and he suspended Smith for what he alleged to be an equivalent offense to Abram's. Simple

Joined: 09/23/2008

MGoPoints: 11440