Some things will never change at UC. Huggy is gone but the thugs are still there. Just like the ole saying goes at UC.. "If they don't beat you during the game, the will beat you up after the game." A skid mark on the whole city.

For all of the people complaining the suspensions are too soft, where is the precedent in college basketball for a player to be suspended for the rest of the season or a huge amount of games for throwing a punch? When has anything like that ever been done? Is the time to do so now? I don't think so. Even in the NBA, guys who were involved in the Malice at the Palace incident didn't even have to sit for the rest of the season. Stephen Jackson got 30 games, Jermaine O'neal got 15 games, Ben Wallace with 6, and Anthony Johnson with 5. Take into account Jackson was in the stands slugging it out with fans and O'neal actually punched a fan I see no reason or any precedent in college basketball to where Gates would have to sit more than that. Now if Gates starts all of this and is the primary contributor then maybe I see it differently. However, as it stands, this thing was instigated by Xavier players and once the mayhem started to unfold Gates threw a few punches and landed with one of the them. He sure wasn't the only one throwing, that much is 100% fact. He wasn't even the only one to actually land a punch. So IMO, a situation like that, in the heat of the moment like that stuff is going to happen. As long as Gates was not the instigator I see no fault with 6 games, like I said are you really going to tell him to go for good when there has never been a precedent like that?

 

 

As for Cronin, heat of the moment applies to him as well IMO. After all of that unfolded and all the madness was over he then had to take to the podium and address the situation at the presser. Of course he is going to be more worked up and say some things more out the stress of the situation rather than the reality of the situation. You guys are saying he has changed his tone since then, well duh. I mean once you have time to cool off, roll back the film and really think about what has happened it makes it a lot different than just getting off the court, addressing your team in the locker room, then hitting the press table.

If this was Duke or NC, what do you think would have happened? How do you think Krzyzewski or Williams would have handled the situation?

The suspensions by both schools are a joke but more so X. I'm sorry but Holloways comments to the media and his actions before and during the brawl are just as embarrassing as the Gates punch.

6 games is a joke. Just like Lagarette Blount he should have been suspended for the rest of the season and have to prove that he is fit to come back after counseling for post season activity. In the real world what he did is a crime, Frease should look into charges. Just because its a rivalry and on a basketball court is not a free pass and a slap on the hand. Come join the real world with the rest of us Gates/UC.

No man nuggets! From the conference president to Mick.

I am a fan of Mick. He said the right things last night after the brawl. But it looks as if what he said was all talk. Because there is no way he and I are watching the same clips of the fight. He and the University did not take a stand today. Six games? Seriously? Six games is not enough for THUG-ISH behavior.

 

I don't know what number would have been the magic number of games, but 6 isn't that number. I am not sure what is more of a black eye the brawl or the 6 games.

This is to weak. If this stands it will set presidence that you can just punch someone in a game and the most you will get is six games. Just proves that both schools are more worried about winning than they are character. Hell we knew that wgen they signed half if these players anyway so why are we bithered by this.

^ Not enough thugs on those teams.

A lot of blaim everywhere. Andy Furman pushing Fitgerald to comment on Tu Hollaway. Hollaway acting like a punk and trash talking. The Refs not stopping the trash talk. Wells pushing Guyn and starting the fight should get 5 games. Gates and Mbodj should never play again for UC, what cowards, one hits a guy when he's not looking and the other kicks him when he's down. Both coaches by not taking the players out before the trash talking got out of hand. It's a 23 point lead and you still have starters in the game, really? Either start recruiting better character kids or don't play this game anymore. When did just winning become not enough, now you have to embarrass them also.

Maybe it's light when you compare it to an incident like Blount's incident in football where he missed the rest of the season but in the grand scheme six games is pretty solid IMO. Especially for UC right now where every game is going to help try to get them into the tourney. Started out in the top 25, things have been downhill since. They drop a handful of games to some sub par competition because you have guys out 10+ games your tourney resume may as well go in the trash. UC need's their guys to make a run, they can't really afford to lose them for one game much less six. I'm just they done the right thing and gave them some sort of heavy game suspension without having to wait for the BEAST to intervene. Gates may have been out of line with the punches but given the circumstances it's easy to see how you could lose control of yourself. We see it all the time in baseball, benches clear guys throw punches, guys get hit, guys sit for a couple games and lose some money, nothing more, nothing less. I equate this to be about the same thing.

 

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We see this all the time? What? We see guys going out of their way to sucker punch people that aren't looking to get hit? Freakin weak!!!

Cronin is a gutless coward....All that tough talk was simply for the camera. He's a joke.

 

Pretty much sums up my feelings as well. All the bull he was slinging during the presser was basically trying to sound tough and keep his job; but actions speak louder than words, and these suspensions were so typical of UC. Pretty much saying that the university condones such actions as "part of the game", and winning is more important than doing the right thing. Didn't take Mick long to give the jerseys back after "ripping them off" several players. UC proving once again that they are one of the biggest jokes in the NCAA. Basketball version of "the U" in their hay-day. I hope Frease files a suit agains Gates & Mobodj.

I doubt anything Mick does short of kicking Gates and Mbodj off the team, will satisfy some. However, I'll wait to see what Mick does come the ND game before I comment on his actions. He seems more than aware of what he said and appears cognizant of how not backing those words up will look. Nobody knows what he'll do until he does or doesn't do it.

???

 

We see this all the time? What? We see guys going out of their way to sucker punch people that aren't looking to get hit? Freakin weak!!!

 

It's easy to take thing's out of context and create things that I did not say or mean. What you have bolded I basically meant was once all hell breaks lose stuff happens. Obviously all hell broke loose in that scrum Saturday. When you have a big on the court/field skirmish like that players are going to lose control of themselves, Saturday it happened to be Gates. No different than anything we have seen in the past, I mean speaking of rivalries, Sox/Yanks brawl, Don Zimmer anyone? It would appear he lost control of himself, and he was a 70+ year old who should have known better, much less a college kid with a lot of emotion and aggression still left in him. Go ahead and try again if you want, you guys can try and make me look stupid or whatever your intention is, but to me it doesn't change my opinion that when things like this happen (bench clearning altercations) things happen, plain and simple. Want another example? How about Knicks/Nuggets and Nate Robinson and Carmelo Anthony? I mean face it when stuff like this happens and it becomes a pushing match between two teams punches sometimes get thrown. Yesterday was an extreme case, but you guys are acting like this is the first time something like this has ever happened, happens all the time in sports, get over it.

UC presser tomorrow will include all suspended players who will have to make a public apology and take questions from the media. Should be interesting...