Jail for Rucker
Looks like Rucker is headed to jail:
While a DUI, on its own, is (unless injury results) not the worst thing in the world. Drinking and driving drunk while on probation is a big deal. Dummy. Pretty wild that MSU "absolutely" expects him back on the team. Halfway House disguised as football team.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:03 PM ^
Easy now, if I recall correctly we had a major offensive contributor spend some time in jail for violating terms of his probation this summer. Kids make mistakes. Hopefully, regardless of the uniform they wear, they learn from it. If not, they pay the consequences.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:09 PM ^
Our player didn't follow thru on things he was supposed to do while on probation. He didn't go out and break the law again while on probation.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:21 PM ^
Techically, our guy did break the law while on probation; the law says you have to do x, y, and z, and he didn't do it. I agree that this isn't as bad as getting a dui while on probation, but it's still breaking the law.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:26 PM ^
Our guy didn't violate a law in violating his probation. The terms of probation are not separate laws. Rucker was not allowed to drink. He drank (which is a probation violation, but not a violation of law) and drove drunk (which is both a probation violation and violation of the law).
October 13th, 2010 at 5:33 PM ^
failing to meet the terms of a plea deal or arrangement means that sentencing shifts. it's not illegal to not meet the terms of probation, it just voids the agreement reached. so no, it's not breaking the law.
October 14th, 2010 at 12:00 AM ^
I don't want to be "Gee a starter on our rivals' team that kicked our ass should be kicked off the team" Guy.
I just don't.
That being said it puts Dantonio on the spot. He comes across as a minister/coach type coach. Tough to walk that double standard line for too long and maintain credibility. Based on Dantonio's tough-guy credo, Rucker has to go. But he wants to win. Should be interesting.
October 14th, 2010 at 12:09 AM ^
i'm only saying the assertion made by that poster was incorrect. failing to meet terms of probation is not "breaking a law," it's forfeiting your right to a less extreme sentencing
that he was not to touch alcohol, as part of his probation, is one thing.
that he was not to drink alcohol after being given a second chance on the team and then drove drunk makes me wonder how Dantonio can think he has put the fear of God in these kids
October 13th, 2010 at 4:11 PM ^
Also our offensive player wasn't on probation for assault and battery.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:17 PM ^
October 13th, 2010 at 6:31 PM ^
...we DO have a player (no longer a player) who wasn't on probation for assault and battery, but is now headed for a FEDERAL lockup for assault because he decked about three prison guards in county lockup.
I cheerfully agree that MSU team are thugs, but I won't bring on the Michigan Civilized-Behavior-Hating-Gods by pretending that we have recruited only paragons of virtue (one recent player philosophized about how much he had learned from his time in jail this summer, right?).
October 13th, 2010 at 6:40 PM ^
we DID have a player. Cissoko's tailspin occurred after he left the team. i'm not about to start claiming John L Smith (or was it Williams?) ran a thug factory bc Plax shot himself in the leg.
October 13th, 2010 at 7:21 PM ^
Yeah, you completely missed the point here, notyourmom. This is not a recruiting issue, or even a player behavior issue. This is a coach-reaction-to-player-behavior issue. Had Dantonio said that Rucker was off the team, or that we was suspended until something happens, we wouldn't really care. It's that MSU players keep getting in trouble and Dantonio's response is "No worries. See you at practice once you're out."
October 13th, 2010 at 7:41 PM ^
mundo
October 13th, 2010 at 8:51 PM ^
I totally agree that Dantonio's reaction was less than stellar, but I think that if we had won the game last Saturday we would not be playing We Are Still Better Human Beings Than They Are So Ha Ha And Especially Their Coach Is a Bad Person (however true that might actually be).
Couldn't we hold ourselves to a higher standard than that?
I *do* think we have are an awesome football family, second to no one's in the world, and anyone who bought a Cancerkicker bracelet from me and my new pal Ann (or any other volunteer) last Saturday at the tailgate showed this is true. I don't need to dissdantonio to know this is so.
October 14th, 2010 at 10:20 PM ^
To be fair, most people here thought Dantonio was a hypocritical douchebag long before Saturday. This is simply confirmation of our previously-formed opinions.
October 14th, 2010 at 9:12 AM ^
We would.
October 14th, 2010 at 10:36 AM ^
That's part of the in-state fighting between the schools. One of our guys slip up, they call us out. Same thing when the shoe is on the other foot. This would have been going on if all these sites were around back in the 80s when Perles and Bo were on the sidelines.
But when you're coming off a stupid campus fight last year that costs you a winnable bowl game, you need to have a zero tolerance policy towards these repeat offenders. And the way Dantonio and Harlon Barnett are trying to sweep this under the carpet is laughable.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:15 PM ^
So...what do you think the reaction would be if a Michigan player, convicted of a violent crime were, just months later, arrested for drunk driving - both a separate crime and a probation violation? And, what if our coaches immediately said that they "absolutely" expect him back on the field?
It's not like the kid failed to do some community service. You don't commit crimes while on probation.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:25 PM ^
As for the coaches, my gut would tell me that they're crazy and should be much harsher. But my bleeding heart brain would probably say they're closer to the situation and to the kid than I am, so maybe they see something that I don't. I think I probably trust the coaches, especially if they have a history of looking like they know what they're doing.
That said, I agree that this is a different case than what happened over the summer, and the crimes are much worse, as everyone above pointed out. I hope Rucker turns it around, and that MSU, both the football program and the school, deals with him in an appropriate manner. And that he learns from his actions. We'll see what happens.
I'm being oversensitive to your comments because I worry about this turning into a "HAHA SPARTY" type thread. But your points are valid.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:38 PM ^
But wasn't this intended to be a HAHA SPARTY type thread?
October 13th, 2010 at 4:53 PM ^
If it was then I stand by my glass houses comment, because what I pride Michigan fans on is being classy - and laughing at a program that took a chance on a kid and got burned is not classy, even if they are an annoying rival.
I think he was informing the board of something that happened to a pivotal player on one of our rivals, and was questioning the kid's judgement, and the judgement of MSU's coaches for what looks like a very lenient stance on the off-the-field actions of their players.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:14 PM ^
No one is ripping on State (or any other school) for taking a chance on a kid and getting burned. That happens everywhere, including UM. What people rip on State for (IMO deservedly so) is for taking a chance on a kid, getting burned, letting that kid back on the team, getting burned by that kid again, and then letting that kid back on the team.
Dantonio took a chance on Rucker. He committed a crime, but was allowed to stay on the team. He then committed another crime while on probation for the first crime (both bad crimes btw, it's not like he was just caught drinking at a party underage), has jail recommended to him by his probation officer, and will be let back on the team by Dantonio, according to his quote.
Criticizing this manner of running a team is not classless. Nor is a "glass house" comment even applicable, because I don't know of a time something comparable has happened here.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:19 PM ^
We may be arguing semantics though - to me that's not really "HAHA SPARTY," that's a valid critique of how they're running their program, and the example they're setting for their student athletes.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:32 PM ^
Please allow me to clarify the question you present...
No, this thread was not intended as a "Ha Ha Sparty" thread. First, I saw the news, didn't see it here yet and felt it was worth sharing (given the multiple Rucker got suspended threads the other day). Second, I thought it bizarre that a coach would insist his player will be back given the fact that the player is now facing two criminal convictions within one year.
Kids will get into trouble at nearly every school in the nation. The response to those wrongs is where I think some lights needs to shine. We have absolutely had kids commit crimes, and we've removed repeat offenders from the team. At State, Dantonio has taken a kid directly from prison to practice. The comments from his staff indicate that they plan to do the same for Rucker. That is not discipline, and (in my opinion) is something that should remove the shine from the Saintly Coach Dantonio.
October 13th, 2010 at 6:05 PM ^
Question posed to Dantonio after beating Michigan in 2010:
Q (paraphrased): Do you think you should stay in the press box and let your offensive coordinator coach from the field to keep your winning streak going?
A (Dantonio): I don't believe in superstition. I believe in God.
"This country was built on second chances"
October 14th, 2010 at 9:06 AM ^
LOL! Is that a true quote?
October 13th, 2010 at 5:40 PM ^
I think that is semantics. No one is saying "haha Sparty your players get in trouble" as much as "haha Sparty your coaches don't care."
Laughing at kids for getting into trouble isn't very classy, but laughing at the coaches (adults) who are clearly OK with it is completely justified.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:49 PM ^
it's almost like Dantonio is taking a "boys will be boys" attitude
October 13th, 2010 at 11:51 PM ^
More likely the "Spartans will be Spartans" attitude
October 14th, 2010 at 8:00 PM ^
Zing!!
October 13th, 2010 at 7:43 PM ^
just made a bad decision. i'm so tired of hearing that BS line about criminals.
October 13th, 2010 at 8:06 PM ^
Hold on a sec...BIG EDIT.
I'm an idiot and just re-read your post to see the sarcasm. Oops.
And now the rest:
... the kid is an idiot. He was on probation and drove drunk. That's begging to go to jail.
October 13th, 2010 at 8:39 PM ^
the terms of his probation said he was not to use alcohol or drugs. to further your point - he was on probation and went to a bar. That's begging to go to jail.
October 14th, 2010 at 8:45 PM ^
Totally agree with jail for probation violation. But I won't throw stones at them. Every uni has issues. When you have 100 kids on a team, it's amazing it doesn't happen more often.
Let them worry about their own dooches--we have Iowa coming up.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:26 PM ^
chances are that player is no longer on the team. We wouldn't put ourselves in the position of having such a player on the team. That's the difference between us and them (one of many).
October 13th, 2010 at 10:00 PM ^
we have hard evidence. Mike Milano, convicted by jury of misdemeanor aggravated assault on M hockey player Steve Kampfer. Rodriguez immediately suspended Milano, and once convicted, Milano's goose was cooked.
Contrast: Glenn Winston puts MSU hockey player A.J. Sturges in the hospital with a severe head injury, pleads guilty to assault and battery, does 4 months in jail, then is escorted back to football practice on a red carpet and with a big brass band playing.
October 13th, 2010 at 6:12 PM ^
RR has repeatedly shown that while a DUI with no priors is worth a second chance, crimes like the Thanksgiving Beatdown, involving violence, or even theft or drug dealing, get a player kicked off the team.
In other words, if the Thanksgiving Beatdown had happened at Michigan, in all likelihood the players would have been kicked off the team. If they hadn't, they would have been put on zero tolerance, and a second brush with the law would have resulted in dismissal from the program.
All programs get their "bad apples;" it's what you do with them that seperates programs with integrity from programs that give multiple "second chances."
I could be wrong about the integrity issue, though: maybe the MSU program is really, really bad at math.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:20 PM ^
What's up with all the pre-emptive counter-reactionary stuff lately? No one had even posted a reply when the "glass houses" post came up.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:27 PM ^
Pretty wild that MSU "absolutely" expects him back on the team. Halfway House disguised as football team.
He was referring to this.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:25 PM ^
shouldn't throw scones.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:28 PM ^
Especially stale scones...those things become like rocks!
October 13th, 2010 at 4:29 PM ^
But what if you're trapped in the gingerbread house? Then shouldn't you throw scones to try to break out?
October 13th, 2010 at 4:31 PM ^
Those things never have doors.
October 13th, 2010 at 6:10 PM ^
The ones I made in my grandma's kitchen did.
When I was 12.
Definitely not when I was 25.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:32 PM ^
Only people in gingerbread houses may throw scones.
October 13th, 2010 at 6:22 PM ^
Why throw anything, when you can eat your way out?
October 13th, 2010 at 6:57 PM ^
trapped in a gingerbread house? for serious?
October 13th, 2010 at 7:01 PM ^
but i watched that whole thing with rapt attention
October 13th, 2010 at 4:21 PM ^