Marsalous Johnson

[allvol]

Maybe I have my orange colored glasses on and maybe I would feel differently if it happened to me but here is how I see it:

The two players are driving along (probbly driving too fast) and they come upon a car going the speed limit in the fast lane. That car in front of them won't get out of the way so they decide to do a little "bumper riding" to get the point across that they want to pass.

Meanwhile, the driver is an undercover cop and thinks to himself...if I was in my cop car these young punks woudn't be doing this to me, don't they know who I am. Finally the cop becomes consumed with anger and slams on his breaks in an attempt to make the players rear end him.

This has now angered the players (who are kids let's keep in mind). They decide they are going to one up this guy by waving around a fake gun to scare him. Yeah, that sounds funny. Let's scare this a hole.

Now, if they stopped to think about it rationally I am sure they would probably not have done it. However, in the heat of the moment it seemed like a good idea to get even and get a laugh.

Is this acceptable behavior? Absolutely not. Do I think this warrants ruining a kids future? I don't think so.

I think I am probably in the minority here, so fire away.

I am in complete agreement with you freak. This story has been blown way out of proportion. The press needs to move on to some real news.

 

[VolinArizona]

I am in complete agreement with you freak. This story has been blown way out of proportion. The press needs to move on to some real news.

Was the story in the sports section or front page? It's not been blown out of proportion, it's just being reported. WE are the ones who are discussing it, which is fine.

 

[GreyWolf1129]

Well...I wasn't there...but I'd have to say LexVol probably nailed how it all went down. "Road Rage" almost always requires two participants, but.....I have no interest in the cop, at this point. If he was a dumbass, hopefully his chain of command will recognize that fact, and deal with it. I am concerned, however, with the two UT football players. Lest we forget, history is fat with teams that [a] had discipline problems, didn't address them aggressively and decisively, and [c] ended up regretting their failure to act. Tennessee and Florida State come to mind almost immediately.
Personally, I think PF has lost control of this football team. David Cutcliffe might be able to fix Ainge, but that leaves about 80 or so other players to fend for themselves. If Fulmer fails to act...swiftly and decisively...remember you read it here: "This is the beginning of the end for Philip Fulmer".
Yes, 18 and 19 and 20 year old kids make stupid mistakes. And when they do, they should be held accountable for them. That's how they learn to stop doing stupid ****. Think about it.....fail a drug test at Walmart, and they fire you. Same for cops, firefighters, schoolteachers, etc. BUT, if you're a professional athlete, you get to fail TWO tests, and only after the second failure do you face any disciplinary action at all. Sad, ain't it?
Get rid of them. If we don't, it will come back to haunt us.

:banghead:

 

[allvol]

Was the story in the sports section or front page? It's not been blown out of proportion, it's just being reported. WE are the ones who are discussing it, which is fine.

Nice big letters on the top front of the sports page in Chattanooga.... includes 2 articles top front of the sports page.... over half the front page of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Sports section.

 

[therealUT]

Nice big letters on the top front of the sports page in Chattanooga.... includes 2 articles top front of the sports page.... over half the front page of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Sports section.

Strictly in reference to the state of TN and of UT's fan base, exactly what happenings in the wide world of sports should be ahead of this in the sports section?

 

[lawgator1]

True. YOUR school only keeps guys around who use and carry real firearms.

And for the 27th time, I think they should be kicked off the Florida team, too. I am very uncomfortable with ever allowing these kids to use guns in ANY WAY other than legitimate self defense. There are just too many grey areas and so many scenarios where it could go bad in a hurry.

Plus, from my perspective, there is absolutely nothing wrong with firmly telling these kids that guns anbd gun violence have become too much a part of every day life and this supposedly cool gangster lifestyle they think they are part of. Break that cycle of gun one-upsmanship and ban the kids from having them in anything other than a purely self-defense mode, like in a closet with the bullets removed and 20 feet away.

If I were a coach and any kid on my team displayed a firearm in such a situation, fired one in a crowded complex (even if by mistake) or was driving around in a car with guns in it, they would be off the team so fast it'd make your head spin.

Zero tolerance. This is just too damn scarry.

 

[Freak]

Nice big letters on the top front of the sports page in Chattanooga.... includes 2 articles top front of the sports page.... over half the front page of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Sports section.

It's also the subject of every local internet media outlet and every talk radio show in town.

 

[lawgator1]

Let me elaborate.

Every generation hates the music and winces at the lifestyle of the next. I'm not saying throw them off the team because they wear hip hop clothes or listen to music that grates on my nerves.

I'm saying you bring an instrument of death anywhere near, or in any way involving, a college campus or on the road when you are on my team just to be a bad ass, well, you can get your bad ass on the next bus home.

Zero tolerance.

 

[Freak]

Let me elaborate.

Every generation hates the music and winces at the lifestyle of the next. I'm not saying throw them off the team because they wear hip hop clothes or listen to music that grates on my nerves.

I'm saying you bring an instrument of death anywhere near, or in any way involving, a college campus or on the road when you are on my team just to be a bad ass, well, you can get your bad ass on the next bus home.

Zero tolerance.

I agree with you on the guns part. Is it Bobby Bowden that makes them check there firearms in with him and he makes them check them out if they want to go hunting?

 

[Freak]

And by the way, whoever suggested that the cop slammed his brakes to have the kid run into him, I doubt that seriously. Makes no sense.

It was me and I have seen it happen many times. I guess the disagreement here is the word "tap". Off duty cops suffer from road rage just like the rest of the population.

 

[lawgator1]

It was me and I have seen it happen many times. I guess the disagreement here is the word "tap". Off duty cops suffer from road rage just like the rest of the population.

Well, guess I am not very sympathetic to someone who rides a guy's bumper and then, when the guy in front tries to get him to stop even by hitting the breaks he decides to flash a gun, fake or not.

Sorry. This is total b.s.

 

[kiddiedoc]

It's also the subject of every local internet media outlet and every talk radio show in town.

A current player being charged with a serious crime and facing the potential of jail time and release from the local university football team, one month before kickoff, while the fan base hopes to see a turnaround both in performance and discipline seems pretty newsworthy to me.

 

[lawgator1]

A current player being charged with a serious crime and facing the potential of jail time and release from the local university football team, one month before kickoff, while the fan base hopes to see a turnaround both in performance and discipline seems pretty newsworthy to me.

It wouldn't be if Fulmer just got up and said no kid on my team is going to have a gun, real or fake, and display it in an attempt to intimidate someone and further that, as that is the charge here, then he is suspended from the team indefinitely while the criminal matter runs its course and if in fact he did do anything remotely like this then the suspension turns into termination. No excuses, no second chances. End of discussion.

I think that would do the school, the team, the fans, and Fulmer a world of good.

 

[hvwarrior58]

I don't know if it has been posted on this site, but Rico and Marsalous have a side to the story as well. They said that they were behind the guy and was trying to pass but the guy wouldn't allow them and even slammed on his brakes in an attempt to have them rearend him. They eventually made it to the lane beside of the guy and Marsalous flipped him off. Somehow, the guy got them to pull over and saw the gun inside of it.

 

[hatvol96]

I don't know if it has been posted on this site, but Rico and Marsalous have a side to the story as well. They said that they were behind the guy and was trying to pass but the guy wouldn't allow them and even slammed on his brakes in an attempt to have them rearend him. They eventually made it to the lane beside of the guy and Marsalous flipped him off. Somehow, the guy got them to pull over and saw the gun inside of it.

That sounds like typical cop behavior to me.

 

[lawgator1]

I don't know if it has been posted on this site, but Rico and Marsalous have a side to the story as well. They said that they were behind the guy and was trying to pass but the guy wouldn't allow them and even slammed on his brakes in an attempt to have them rearend him. They eventually made it to the lane beside of the guy and Marsalous flipped him off. Somehow, the guy got them to pull over and saw the gun inside of it.

"Somehow the guy got them to pull over"?

Uh huh.

The guy wouldn't let them pass, slamming on his breaks to get them to rear end him, then he "somehow" got them to pull over then he just happened to see the toy gun for the first time there on the floorboard.

Okkkkkaaaaayyyyy. You know, we have some real nice land down here in Florida. A little marshy, yes, but in the dry season you don't sink too far. Wanna buy some?

 

[lawgator1]

That sounds like typical cop behavior to me.

Please tell me hatvol that you are being sarcastic.

 

[hatvol96]

"Somehow the guy got them to pull over"?

Uh huh.

The guy wouldn't let them pass, slamming on his breaks to get them to rear end him, then he "somehow" got them to pull over then he just happened to see the toy gun for the first time there on the floorboard.

Okkkkkaaaaayyyyy. You know, we have some real nice land down here in Florida. A little marshy, yes, but in the dry season you don't sink too far. Wanna buy some?

Gee, you really are a complete lap dog for the Five-O, LG.

 

[Lexvol]

"Somehow the guy got them to pull over"?

Uh huh.

The guy wouldn't let them pass, slamming on his breaks to get them to rear end him, then he "somehow" got them to pull over then he just happened to see the toy gun for the first time there on the floorboard.

Okkkkkaaaaayyyyy. You know, we have some real nice land down here in Florida. A little marshy, yes, but in the dry season you don't sink too far. Wanna buy some?

LG, you are sounding less and less like an attorney with each post. It is time to let it all play out in court, and then pass judgement.

 

[hvwarrior58]

O, btw, Marsalous was suspended from practice until his court case. I guess after the Henderson incident, Fulmer figured he should wait to see how guilty his player is.

 

[Arclight]

Bottom line:

1. There will be a court date.

2. Will CPF enforce his announced "zero tolerancy rule" ??????? (the big question)

 

[hvwarrior58]

It just depends on how the hearing goes. If they drop the charges, I don't see why Marsalous would be kicked off. Why punish an innocent man.

 

[lawgator1]

Gee, you really are a complete lap dog for the Five-O, LG.

O, btw, Marsalous was suspended from practice until his court case. I guess after the Henderson incident, Fulmer figured he should wait to see how guilty his player is.

If you knew me, you'd know how ridiculous that is, hat. I'm just remarking that the story as relayed by whoever that was on here sounds awfully far-fetched and is not very consistent with what they got arrested for. I mean, I guess based just on what one reads here, you have two competing stories.

Copper: Punk kids came up from behind me and were right on my tail, dangerously slow. I tapped the breaks to get them to back off. They went around and one pointed a gun at me. We stopped him and the gun was on the floorboard. It turned out to be a toy.

Marsalous: We were driving along and this guy wouldn't let us pass. He was actively trying to block us and even tried to get us to ram into him by stopping short. I gave him the finger, he pulled us over, he saw the gun and then he made up the claim that I pointed it at him.

Good luck with that story there, Marsalous. Hat, am I a lapdog for the police or are you an apologist for the Vol player?

As to the other post, that's the right approach. Suspend him while the court matter is underway. For one thing, he probably can't talk to Fulmer about what happened. I imagine his lawyer has put the kibosh on that. But when the case is over, plea deal or no plea deal, get the facts and if he pulled a gun on someone, he's gone.

 

[lawgator1]

It just depends on how the hearing goes. If they drop the charges, I don't see why Marsalous would be kicked off. Why punish an innocent man.

In the real world, there is a difference between "innocent" and "not convicted."

 

[cd12]

From a "Five-O" standpoint by the accounts I have seen the officer was well within the scope to bring the charge. Some 'cops' might have taken a different approach. Aggravated Assault is a C class felony, so we're not talking about something as petty as Johnson's intent may have been. I seriously doubt he intended to do bodily injury to this officer. I am by no means excusing his actions and I do not know his previous history (which will play a role down the line). If he had a violent past, which I doubt or he wouldn't be at UT, Agg Assault might fit. I think this is a case of showing off and it back fired on him! Yes,he should be dismissed from the team (a few years ago he would of stayed) but this incident IMO doesn't deserve a felony record. Now McDaniel is a different story!