OT: Charges against UCLA players dropped, flying home from China
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.
November 14th, 2017 at 11:51 AM ^
Those morons are reeeeal lucky
November 14th, 2017 at 6:21 PM ^
I wonder how much UCLA (or their boosters) paid in "fines" to get them released?
November 14th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
Not surprising, of course. I'm sure if they were some average John Doe, they'd be in jail right now.
November 14th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
They're making a crab leg theft look like child's play.
November 14th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^
They get you out of jail for free? Oh boy. MSU just booked a trip to china.
November 14th, 2017 at 2:19 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 3:11 PM ^
A rich uncle can pay to get you out of jail? The SEC just booked their trip to china!
November 14th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 11:56 AM ^
Hopefully the threat of chinese justice at least scared them straight
November 14th, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
They didn't want to risk offending Lavar and losing out on that big baller brand swag
November 14th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
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!!!
November 14th, 2017 at 12:05 PM ^
I was going to say the same thing but from the other side's perspective!
November 14th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:27 PM ^
right to chinese trial?
i'm kidding. and if any of you respond seriously to this you need to go cane yourself. twice.
November 14th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^
Colludes with UCLA/China; USC Outraged; North Korea Calls "an affront to Chinese Sovereighty" - Launches Missile Into Water; Dems Call For Investigation; "Wooden Was a Communist" - source; Bannon Tirade; Special Election; Kevin Spacey.
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.
November 14th, 2017 at 12:01 PM ^
Did you intentionally use a string of adjectives to make this sound like an East Asian advertising campaign? "Ridiculously Super Lucky Great Wonderful Absorbent Tampons!!!!!"
November 14th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
This is just my two cents, but I don't know that I would ever buy something advertised as both lucky and absorbent. It seems like a recipe for one or the other not happening when you most need it and, well, it's not like Depends would sell if the slogan was also "Depends".
November 14th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
About 10 years ago college Game Day was at a Penn State game and Paterno was coaching. There was a sign in the crowd that said JOE PATERNO: BOXERS OR BRIEFS? . . .DEPENDS
November 14th, 2017 at 4:32 PM ^
but that is an old Ronald Reagan joke.
November 14th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
Right - but if Xi says let 'em go, that's what happens. Its not like they have a Judicial branch of government independent from the Executive.
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.
November 14th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
They were being held at the Hyatt Regency in Hangzhou. From all the stuff that has been posted, it looked really nice.
November 14th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^
and is by far the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. I'd prefer to not go or go to Europe though. China is exhausting as there is such a large language and cultural difference. The people are super nice.
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.
November 14th, 2017 at 12:03 PM ^
Even in China. Or they threatened to have LaVar Ball come negotiate.
November 14th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
depends on the USD/RMB exchange rate
November 14th, 2017 at 12:36 PM ^
dilly dilly!!!
November 14th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:18 PM ^
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.
November 14th, 2017 at 4:23 PM ^
Singapore is not the same as China
November 14th, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:49 PM ^
November 14th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
Our governments were just meeting for a few days. They would not be out if that was not the case.
November 14th, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^
I'm sure POTUS would've called if he was still in the States.
November 14th, 2017 at 2:44 PM ^
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?
November 14th, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
Yeah, because we've certainly never see athletes circumvent the legal system before now!
November 14th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
Maybe they threatened to move the Big Baller shoe factory out of China. Tens of jobs were at stake.
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.
November 14th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
Are there photos of the players in MAGA hats yet? Or the Ball family?