MSU reinstates Delton Williams

Submitted by Blueblood2991 on

Suspended Spartan running back Delton Williams will be reinstated for fall camp.  Williams was arrested for brandishing a firearm during a road rage incident.  He plea bargained down to a lesser charge of possessing a firearm on campus.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state-university/2015/07/27/msu-reinstates-delton-williams-football-team/30758335/

Seems a bit Roger Goodell-ish of Dantonio.  He boots a recruit for going to a football camp in Ohio, yet allows this.  He was a real hardass for suspending Williams during the summer when practices weren't going on.

MSU seems to be emphasizing the fact that he will be off scholarship for the fall.  Carrying a weapon on a public college campus, concealed or open, is against the law in Michigan.  Any other student would've been expelled immediately, no questions asked.

I do give some credit to Delton though for trying to finish what he started, and not transfering.  We'll have to wait and see if his scholarship is offered again next year.

Williams was also arrested for drug possession in 2012, but the charges were eventually dropped.

Tater

July 28th, 2015 at 3:50 AM ^

Using a firearm in a road rage incident is not the typical, non-violent "college kid does something stupid" offense like DUI, pot or even disorderly conduct.  

Any football coach with any integrity would have kicked him off the team.  I am guessing he gets his scholly back before he ever pays the school a dime.  Besides, there is a good chance that much of his cost of attendance can be defrayed by a need-based scholly, especially if the admins help.  

Typical Sparty: stop pretending and replace the green and whilte with an orange jumpsuit. 

coldnjl

July 28th, 2015 at 7:30 AM ^

The punishment equal to what a typical student would get, but it is harsh.

And in regard to their new team colors being orange...Do you remember the recent charges of rape, intimidating a witness, theft, DUI, assault....all occurred here within the last two years, so please get off your high horse. The Gibbons/Lewan incident alone is enough to trump a pretty severe punishment handed down by MSU. 

 

turd ferguson

July 28th, 2015 at 7:52 AM ^

A pretty severe punishment?  Come on, he pulled a gun on a fellow student.  

One of the most nauseating comments around here is this idea that since bad things have happened at Michigan, we're just as bad as everyone else and have no right to comment on anything.  Do you honestly think that Delton Williams would remain with the Michigan football program if he did that to a Michigan student?  Do you think the University of Michigan would allow that?  Hell, in your one example (Gibbons), we have a direct comparison point with MSU.  As shitty as Gibbons' conduct seemed, Michigan handled that incident a whole lot more seriously than MSU handled the Payne and Appling incident.  MSU had a Final Four streak to preserve, after all.

If Michigan did this, it'd be the lead story on ESPN, the Free Press, and damn near every other publication in America.  Hell, Keith Heitzman possibly not getting a fifth scholarship year managed to become the top news story on Yahoo.  Maybe that scrutiny and the lack of attention that MSU gets leads us to self-police differently, or maybe it's something else (e.g., our athletic department's power being more constrained by others in the university), but I have a really hard time believing that this would play out similarly at UM.

coldnjl

July 28th, 2015 at 9:46 AM ^

There are degrees of severe yes...did he get preferential treatment for being a football player? Probably. Minick drove drunk...he COULD have killed someone if he lost control of his car....just like Williams COULD have killed someone if he pulled the trigger. Both are in their respectable positions. 

And in regards to the Gibbons case versus the MSU case...both are disgusting...Yes, as the poster said below, the Gibbons incident happened late 2009...but wasn't kicked off of the team until late December 2013...He missed a total of one game. Lewan missed none. Lewan was later charged with assault (maybe he should have been expelled too, preventing the later incident). And just because we sucked and MSU got a final four during that time is a rediculous comparison to make when in light, both situations appear similiar. 

And yes if UM did this, it would be on the front page of ESPN...that is because we are UM, and not MSU. You take the good with the bad. 

AZBlue

July 28th, 2015 at 10:11 AM ^

A few comments...call them excuses if you wish

Neither Gibbons or Lewan were charged with any crime while enrolled at M. If the allegations were true at least BG got the proper punishment once the non-legal (new) process was complete - although the handling of it I.e. "Family issue" was botched by Hoke/Brandon.

DUI (or whatever it is called these days) while dangerous, thoughtless, and irresponsible; lacks the intent of pulling a gun on someone. (For better or worse I would guess the majority on this site have violated at least the legal minimum of the DWI statute at least once in our lives - hopefully only in our much younger/stupiid-er days)

While I don't think a dismissal from the team/school is a cut and dried solution here, It is tough to argue that Mr. Williams' position on the RB depth chart didn't play a large role in this lack of punishment. I would have thought a 4-6 game suspension would have been a minimum penalty here. I would also posit that a majority - of this board at least - would be unhappy if this punishment had happened to an M player as well.

robpollard

July 28th, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^

- First, it's Shonte Peoples

- Second, when he fired his gun at those people (who I believe he thought were car thieves, but were really cops), he didn't play a game after that. It was in Feb or Mar of 1994, and he didn't play in the fall of 1994 -- not sure if that's b/c he had already left for the pros or was kicked off the team. I think it was the former, but not sure.

http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052005aab.html

- Finally, I did a quick Googling, and it seems he has turned his life around (though he doesn't have much good to say about Lloyd, FWIW)

http://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw/index.ssf/2012/05/former_u-m_stando…

bronxblue

July 28th, 2015 at 9:43 AM ^

I don't understand this argument - so because a UM player raped another student (and was expelled), we are no longer allowed to judge the relative merits of how another school handled a situation?  That's just lazy, reductive logic.  

Gibbons was kicked out of the school as soon as a second panel re-evaluated his case (after basically being acquitted initially), and there remains some (probably irrelevant) uncertainty about what happened that night.  Lewan's involvement was the Gibbons situation is also unknown (though I'm sure he ran his mouth), and at least in large part is based on some allegations from another party about Lewan said about the victim, trumpetted by a crazed Washtenaw Watchdog report.

Sadly, DUIs, assaults, and thefts occur semi-frequently on college campuses, and while you'd hope athletes would comport themselves better that wouldn't get my dander up too much other than the usual "that's dumb" comments.

But Williams drew a gun on another college student because he apparently got involved in a minor driving incident.  Any other student at MSU would have been kicked out of school immediately, no questions asked.  This is 2015, and we know how bad things can get on college campuses with firearms and how harshly universities punish those types of infractions.  

 

karpodiem

July 28th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^

unless charges are filed, it's her word against his. There may be some compelling evidence, but these are allegations, not charges. This is a criminal allegation, handled by police. It stayed as an allegation.No charges were brought against either of these players.

The dismissal from the team is a judgement call, made by the person making that judgement. But that does not make any sort of legal judgement, which is the judgement which matters most.

It's reprehensible that a person on the football team would even be in a situation where this was alledged, but I'm really sick of this things being thrown around without the full context of the situation (a lack of charges being brought)

Magnus

July 28th, 2015 at 8:16 AM ^

What about a DUI...twice? I mean, I think it's pretty dumb to be drunk and get behind the wheel of a several thousand pound box of metal once, let alone twice, when your judgment is impaired by substances.

Gucci Mane

July 28th, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^

Your whole statement is way off. First of all it's much easier to kill someone with a gun than accidentally crashing into someone because you are drunk; that seems rather obvious. Secondly, we are not easy on drunk drivers at all, in fact many people's lives have been ruined all because they made one bad choice while having impaired judgment (and in most of those cases hurt no one).

youn2948

July 28th, 2015 at 9:04 AM ^

Discipline is a joke, at least he didn't fire the gun but that makes it no better to me.

This is a way for Dantonio to get around scholarship requirements.  Make the kids take out scholarships instead when they commit crimes.  Suddenly the 85 baloons to around 100.  I really hope this doesn't become more prevalent.  Do a crime, stay on the team but lose scholarship.

Mr. Owl

July 28th, 2015 at 1:22 AM ^

At least he loses his scholarship.

Let's hope for this young man's sake that it's the kick in the ass that some of us need to get our head on straight.

(CHUNKUMS beat me to it!)

rufftime

July 28th, 2015 at 1:54 AM ^

Reading the article, the young man sounds pretty contrite to me.  Having to pay tuition is like paying a huge fine as punishment.

Wolvie3758

July 28th, 2015 at 3:59 AM ^

Isnt this how it goes these days...Suspend during the off season so it LOOKS like you are doing something and cracking down on this kind of behavior and then in the dead of summer when no ones oaying attention reinstate RIGHT Before the season starts...MSU has done this alot....brandishing a gun during a road rage incident isnt some minor little boys will be boys thing. Thats a sign of a violent person...But when you have a win at all costs enviroment this is what happens....what punishment?

Kermits Blue Key

July 28th, 2015 at 5:38 AM ^

Dantonio's emotions are all out of whack. He can get so incensed over the most minor of infractions ("little brother", stake in the ground, etc.), yet he can't seem to empathize with the fear/anger the victims of his players' shenanigans (Glenn Winston, this clown, etc.) must feel. Dude is mental.