OT: Charges against UCLA players dropped, flying home from China

Submitted by ypsituckyboy on

All charges against UCLA players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley have been dropped and they're now flying home from China (not being deported). News reports said  President Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help resolve things.

Michigan plays UCLA at Crisler on Dec 9.

If you were the coach/AD at UCLA, what punishment would you give them for committing the crime (sounds like they were totally guilty i.e. caught on tape) and bringing international embarrassment to the school/country? I don't think I'd kick them off the team. I think suspension for the season would be appropriate if it really did necessitate the President getting involved to keep them out of a Chinese jail for the next few years. If that wasn't really what happened behind the scenes, then I'd call it good at a 10 game suspension.

MgoHillbilly

November 14th, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^

I wonder if any money changed hands. You'd think that if ucla helped financially in any way with their legal situation that it'd be considered an impermissible benefit. Just sayin'.

FauxMo

November 14th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^

If Obama was president, they'd have already been executed. Thank God people respect 'Merica again... 

I'M KIDDING!!! MAYBE??? IS THIS A LEFT-WING OR A RIGHT-WING INSULT??? YOU DON'T KNOW!!!

taistreetsmyhero

November 14th, 2017 at 11:59 AM ^

everything I was reading claimed that China didn't really care about celebrity athletes and that they probably wouldn't receive any special treatment.

These kids got ridiculously super lucky. Let them chew on that over a season ban, at the very least.

Hail-Storm

November 14th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^

They love basketball over there, and having 3 players locked up would almost gaurantee schools wouldn't take the risk to go there to play.  

The players are idiots.

Side note: I travel to Hangzhou for work quite a bit.  The west lake is nice, and the area they most likely stayed in is full of extremely high end stuff like high end car dealerships. 

Navy Wolverine

November 14th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^

Usually to Shanghai. I agree with everything you wrote. Some very nice hotels (usually at very reasonable rates). Luckily I have several native Chinese colleagues so I don't struggle with the language barrier as much. I do struggle with the food quite a bit though as real Chinese food is a lot different from American Chinese food.

mgobleu

November 14th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^

Remember that kid in Singapore that was supposed to get caned for vandalism or something and it turned into a big international shit-fit?

I still don't know what the big deal was. I'm sure the little prick learned his lesson.

iamnumber1fan

November 14th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^

It looks like the U.S. has improved their negotiation skills. 

 

Michael Peter Fay (born May 30, 1975), better known simply as Michael Fay, is a United States citizen who was the subject of international attention in 1994 when he was sentenced to six strokes of the cane in Singapore for theft and vandalism at age 18. Although caning is a routine court sentence in Singapore, its use caused controversy in the United States, and Fay's case was believed to be the first caning involving an American citizen.[1] The number of cane strokes in Fay's sentence was ultimately reduced from six to four after United States officials requested leniency.

1VaBlue1

November 14th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^

I thought this had already been 'negotiated' down to 30 days restriction in the hotel room, then fly home?  My thought was that some UCLA booster dropped a bag of money at the local police station to secure that deal.  And just why the hell would the President personally ask for leniency here?  Would he do that for some poor schmuck getting railroaded for a tube of sunscreen while on vacation?

blueinbeantown

November 14th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^

Why couldn't they have found some reason to lock up LaVar when he went over there?  I thought being a complete moron was grounds for 10 years of "re-education".  If it had been North Korea, LaVar would posing like Rodman with the short, fat and ugly FF!  Most likely would have offered him a pair of size 7 shoes and then sent off when he asked for the $500.