Dominic Artis, Oregon Transfer
- Thread starter TRabinowitz
- Start date
ErickTheRed
Member
So just because Norm couldn't land Lance it doesn't count? if you remember there were plenty of allegations about Lance from small stuff to sexual assault charges and Norm did recruit him.
indyredmen97
Member
This is a very tough, yet important conversation to have about recruits. I'm a criminal defense attorney that truly believes in the presumption of innocence. But that is a discussion about Constitutional rights and freedom of liberty and not the same as receiving the benefit of a scholarship to attend a university - and a Catholic one at that. I don't pretend to know the particulars of this situation, only the allegations, and they deserve close inspection before settling on an opinion regarding Dominic Artis. In an ideal world, I would want talented basketball players to have a high moral compass and reflect positively on the university. We don't live in that world. We have alumni that have committed heinous crimes, and scholarship athletes that have also brought shame to themselves and St. John's. If Coach Lavin and his staff find, after careful inspection, that Dominic Artis fits the entire mission of a scholarship, then as a fan and graduate I will welcome him and root for him to achieve his dreams. If we are merely making a talent and/or desperation vs. moral integrity comparison (or worse, putting other students in potential danger), then I don't agree, and any future offense by Dominic Artis would require termination of his scholarship as well as termination of Coach Lavin's contract. There are just no easy answers to this recruitment which is why my initial reaction is to just look elsewhere, which is (regrettably) the easiest answer to choose.
For what it's worth, IMO, there is no way we should be pursuing Artis. I understand Boys will be boys and all of that but a Catholic University should not be pursuing this type of person. If that's what we are about, why was the "Pitt crew" disciplined after that incident?
Breaking curfew; attending a strip club while underage; engaging in prostitution, an illegal act. If it was just the sex, I don't think it would have been a big deal. I doubt that there are too many virgins on college basketball teams (even at BYU).
That being said, the more I think about it, the more I come down on the side of walking away. I'm sure Lavin's Northern California connections have led him to contemplating giving Artis another chance but it would be a P.R. nightmare.
Yep, this piece outlining ban is interesting.
@CBTonNBC: Report: Oregon suspends Dominic Artis, Brandon Austin and Damyean Dotson from campus for up to 10 yearshttp://t.co/19KYjTajiS
"The victim’s lawyer, John Clune, spoke with The Huffington Post on Monday...."
As I mentioned earlier, this guy represented the accuser in the Kobe Bryant rape case and extracted a rumored 7-figure settlement from him. He'll make sure this Oregon case doesn't go out of the spotlight until Oregon pays up. Ka-Ching!
beast of the east
Active member
As a criminal attorney you are aware that rape is a crime which often is difficult to impossible to prove, often putting the victim and his/her personal history on trial in order to sway a jury. It is a crime that when inflicted without battery, only becomes a crime when consent is absent. The question of consent becomes paramount, and as such, especially when alcohol is involved, is difficult to ascertain. Even a perpetrator can be absolute in his mindset that sex was consensual even as the victim decides that consent was never given.
The surrounding circumstances, while not evidence of a crime, give cause to question the moral judgments of the three men involved. One drunk girl, three men corralling her in a bathroom, and then engaging in multiple sexual acts with her. Then keeping her for another day for more rounds of sex. It's possible these guys thought they hit the slut jackpot, but even someone with some sense of moral judgment would think there was something not right about three guys passing around a drunk girl for cheap sex.
Players and coaches in high profile sports are the face of a university. Who can name the president of Syracuse, or Duke, or Kentucky? But any sports fans knows the coaches and many of the players. Think about it, would we want a coach who behaved that way? Come to think of it, Louisville does.
MarkRedman
Well-known member
Not a great P.R. move by Coach Lavin
Banned on the Oregon campus but welcomed at St John's
You should have fully investigated the situation before extending an invitation for Artis to make an official visit to our campus, Coach
Or, at the very least, waited until Oregon made it's findings public
A rookie mistake made by a veteran coach ........ smh
Banned on the Oregon campus but welcomed at St John's
You should have fully investigated the situation before extending an invitation for Artis to make an official visit to our campus, Coach
Or, at the very least, waited until Oregon made it's findings public
A rookie mistake made by a veteran coach ........ smh
beast of the east
Active member
Despite my opinion that there are better places than NYC for Artis to redeem himself, before we rake Lavin over the coals for pursuing this kid, let's remember that Lavin could have discarded D'Angelo Harrison, and left him for dead. Before we witnessed the new and restrained Harrison, you could have compared his behavior to Michael Graham, who even the great John Thompson Jr. tossed from the Georgetown squad. Before you classify Graham as a very different thug, know that Michael Graham today is a successful businessman. So, forgetting about Xs and Os for a second, most of us give Lavin credit as a no nonsense guy who expects a lot from his players in terms of discipline, but also has a huge heart for forgiveness and redemption. I can say that without even being certain that I personally like the guy, which has rankled a few of you for certain.
I am pretty certain that everything that has been published recently Lavin is aware of. I'd have less respect for Lavin if his regard for Artis is based solely on Artis' ability to play hoops. Tons of college coaches will load their roster with some really bad kids in pursuit of wins. As important as winning is, I do sincerely believe that if Lavin is pursuing him, wants to participate in Artis' restoration of his reputation. It may be naïve for me to hold this position, but I'm not going after Lavin on this one. I just think its a bad decision on his part.
On the other hand, wasn't there a kid recruited by LIU who was charged criminally with a sexual crime? It was a big deal at the time, but I do seem to remember that the kid completed his college eligibility there without incident, despite the public outcry.
richie parker was the player
The Aftermath: Schools that had been fawning over Parker before the incident backed off in fear of the media attention his presence on campus would attract. After playing one year at an Arizona junior college, Parker transferred to Long Island University and graduated in May 2000. He played briefly for the Atlantic City Seagulls of the USBL and appeared in a series of Jordan Brand commercials directed by Spike Lee, including one in which he guards Ray Allen. In 2002, Parker got involved with the Stay Strong Foundation, a mentoring program for troubled New York City kids. As of 2007, he could still be found playing basketball in New York's famed Rucker Park.