Marsalous Johnson

[allvol]

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.

1) not serious relative to real crimes
2) no jail time
3) may get released? due to zero tolerance Fulmer has in place after last season
4) still not newsworthy to me, everyone else can have their own opinions

 

[lawgator1]

1) not serious relative to real crimes
2) no jail time
3) may get released? due to zero tolerance Fulmer has in place after last season
4) still not newsworthy to me, everyone else can have their own opinions

Let me ask you. Had it been a real gun and loaded, would you have a different point of view?

 

[cd12]

Let me ask you. Had it been a real gun and loaded, would you have a different point of view?

Just th facts Lg, just the facts! :angel:

 

[lawgator1]

My point was that the fact that the gun is not real is both legally and morally irrelevant.

This for me all goes back to a time many years ago when my father, who was then a sitting judge, remakred to me several times that if it were up to him there would be a law in Florida to the effect that use of any gun in commission of a crime means automatic jail time. Now, decades later, we do have such a law (coincidental, not his doing) and in fact the third time you do it you are gone for good.

To me, flashing a real-looking gun at someone to get your jollies or be a man is a sick and twisted thing, points to a serious criminal intent, and is just plain morally reprehensible.

It is big news and I am glad to see Fulmer has suspended him while the criminal matter goes on. If he did it, regardless fo whether he gets convicted or pleas or whatever, then if fulmer is serious he'll boot him.

 

[volfan2024]

I have to agree with Freak here.Also,I know some parts of East Tennessee have, how shall I say,a racial overcast to them.Maybe MJ felt threatened.Some guys in authority do abuse that authority.I'm not saying that applies here. Nevertheless, if MJ hasn't been in any trouble prior to this incident, I think he should miss a few games and be placed on probation.As far as MJ's character,he's been over to my house several times before visiting my boys, I talked to him, very level headed, very good family.I admit it was stupid what he did, but I'm sure there has been worse things to happen resulting with the same consequences I suggested.

 

[Freak]

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.

You don't have to apologize to me.

Seriously, people have done that to me and it makes me angry that they won't get out of the way, and then the brake stomping just makes it worse. The gun part is wrong but I don't buy that the cop is being truthful about the "tap".

That is all.

 

[allvol]

Let me ask you. Had it been a real gun and loaded, would you have a different point of view?

but it WASN'T real

 

[Freak]

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 is newsworthy. I am just surprised by the "frenzy" that it has stirred up.

"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?

I don't know about the seeing the gun on the floorboard but it all seems entirely possible to me.

My point was that the fact that the gun is not real is both legally and morally irrelevant.

I don't agree. I think that is a broad generalization. I point toy guns at my kids all the time when we are playing. I obviously wouldn't do that with a real gun.

 

[VolinArizona]

but it WASN'T real

But his INTENT was to threaten a cop with it. INTENT is important, isn't it LG?

 

[Freak]

To me, flashing a real-looking gun at someone to get your jollies or be a man is a sick and twisted thing, points to a serious criminal intent, and is just plain morally reprehensible.

Morally reprehensible? lol:

 

[volmanjr]

I point toy guns at my kids all the time when we are playing. I obviously wouldn't do that with a real gun.

Would you wave that toy gun at someone on the highway?

 

[Freak]

Would you wave that toy gun at someone on the highway?

I would not.

I was posting in response to the fact that it doesn't matter if the gun was real or not.

 

[volmanjr]

That was my point, real or not it was stupid and dangerous in that situation.

 

[volmanjr]

Of course I'm touchy about the subject of being stupid on the road, whether it be drinking and driving, waving guns(real or not) or weaving in and out of traffic at 90 miles an hr.

 

[therickbol]

Young, immature, and doesnt fully understand the weight of those actions. I think that is all we are dealing with in this situation. Should that include punishment? Yes, serious sprint drills and other "exhaustive" punishment would suffice. This is not a kid who was doing this to emmulate being in a gang or intending any harm or anything along those lines. That would be different.

 

[hatvol96]

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.

I don't make my living representing cops charged with misconduct.

 

[volmanjr]

This is not a kid who was doing this to emmulate being in a gang or intending any harm or anything along those lines. That would be different.

If he pointed it , he should be gone. What if the person he waved the gun at had broke nervous and swerved into oncoming traffic then what would you say. Sorry I just have no tolerance for that kind of crap, if he is that immature he needs to grow up.

 

[allvol123]

If he pointed it , he should be gone. What if the person he waved the gun at had broke nervous and swerved into oncoming traffic then what would you say. Sorry I just have no tolerance for that kind of crap, if he is that immature he needs to grow up.

I don't know if playing the if game is useful. What if some girl drove past you and flashed her top and it caused you to swerve and you crashed and died. I don't think she should be charged with anything.

 

[therickbol]

An 18 or 19 year old KID being immature should have his education taken away and future jeopardized for that? He should be punished and will learn from this mistake. If every college student that made a mistake equivilant to this was kicked out of school then UTK would be struggling to maitain enough students to survive. No it was not something that should be tolerated. But, it was not malicious and is not part of a pattern devloped by this KID. If this doesnt deserve a second chance and shot at "growing up and learning" then I am not sure what does.

 

[lawgator1]

I don't know, I guess I am just fed up with the excuses for people doing dangerous and utterly stupid things. I mean, imagine if you are driving down the road and somebody is trying to get by you and you get over a little too slowly for their tastes and even hit the breaks a couple of times to get themn to back off. So you look over and there is a guy driving by and the passenger is pointing a gun at you.

Personally, I don't think I'd have the cool to take a look and see if its a real gun. In fact, after soiling myself I am fairly certain I'd slam on the breaks and try not to have a heart attack.

This air of accepting violence like this, or threats of violence, in our society because somebody was keeping you from passing? I just don't get it. And I don't think it is something kids in college should be doing. You've got a football team and there's media scrutiny and the kids know it and they do something like this -- it just suggests to me that the kid is, in fact, a REAL BAD kid.

There, I said it. In fact, I'm proud. He had NO justification for pointing the gun at the guy. He ought to go to prison. For awhile. And if I were coach his personal crap would be out in the frickin' rain.

If he goes to trial and wins, convinces people that the guy is lying, well, I guess you have to give him the benefit of the doubt about what happened. But I don't believe his cocakamamie sotry for one second and I doubt any of you really do, either.

I think the more we tolerate such abysmal behavior, the worse it gets. If he pointed the gun, regardless of what happened before, we'd be better off with him off the streets and your football team would sure as hell be better off without him in uniform.

 

[lawgator1]

An 18 or 19 year old KID being immature should have his education taken away and future jeopardized for that? He should be punished and will learn from this mistake. If every college student that made a mistake equivilant to this was kicked out of school then UTK would be struggling to maitain enough students to survive. No it was not something that should be tolerated. But, it was not malicious and is not part of a pattern devloped by this KID. If this doesnt deserve a second chance and shot at "growing up and learning" then I am not sure what does.

Are you on drugs? Every college kid does something the equivalent of pointing a gun at a moving vehicle? It wasn't malicious?

Grow up.

 

[checkerboard_charly]

what is it about putnam co. that makes ppl crazy??

albert haynesworth had his run in with the law earlier this year in putname co.

a few years ago the crazy cop killed the innocent dog on the side of I-40.

One thing that makes me feel weezy is knowing that our future great LB Rico McCoy could have been charged also.

 

[Jasongivm6]

what is it about putnam co. that makes ppl crazy??

albert haynesworth had his run in with the law earlier this year in putname co.

a few years ago the crazy cop killed the innocent dog on the side of I-40.

One thing that makes me feel weezy is knowing that our future great LB Rico McCoy could have been charged also.

I don't know. I remember about 9 or 10 years ago, I got stuck about a mile away from the Monterey exit in a snow blizzard for 19 hours.

It's like Tennessee's Bermuda thingy.

 

[GreyWolf1129]

Behold the 11th Commandment..."Lo, the stupid shall be punished."

Behold, the 11th Commandment, as modified by the UT Athletic Department (and a hundred or so other Division I-A schools)..."Lo, the stupid shall be punished, unless thee did rush for over 50 score yards the previous year, or throw 20 or more touchdown passes, or gather as many passes thyself, or sacketh the opposing quarterback many times, or if thou haveth much speed and talent and we consider thee vital to our pursuit of many riches and glory in the land of the BCS. In that case, lo, the stupid shall only be sternly admonished, and forced to wring thy hands in public and cover thyself in sackcloth and ashes...after which thee will be eligible for the Florida game".

Zero tolerance, my ass. I'll believe it when I see it.

Go Vols.

:banghead:

 

[OrangeSquare]

Behold the 11th Commandment..."Lo, the stupid shall be punished."

Behold, the 11th Commandment, as modified by the UT Athletic Department (and a hundred or so other Division I-A schools)..."Lo, the stupid shall be punished, unless thee did rush for over 50 score yards the previous year, or throw 20 or more touchdown passes, or gather as many passes thyself, or sacketh the opposing quarterback many times, or if thou haveth much speed and talent and we consider thee vital to our pursuit of many riches and glory in the land of the BCS. In that case, lo, the stupid shall only be sternly admonished, and forced to wring thy hands in public and cover thyself in sackcloth and ashes...after which thee will be eligible for the Florida game".

Zero tolerance, my ass. I'll believe it when I see it.

Go Vols.

:banghead:

Tell that to Banks, Schaeffer and Ontario Smith.