By George Schroeder
LaMichael James was set to get out of jail Wednesday. Sort of. Until his next court appearance, Oregon’s star running back will wear an electronic bracelet that allows authorities to monitor his whereabouts.
And the big question is: Can Chip Kelly get a bulk rate?
Because when it comes to Oregon football players this offseason, house arrest suddenly seems like very sound strategy.
Harsh, sure. But so is the tarnish to Oregon’s image from a string of arrests and investigations. The perception is a program run amok.
James, who was arrested Tuesday for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend — five misdemeanor charges, including “strangulation” — is only the latest offender. Since the Rose Bowl, it’s been Ducks Gone Wild.
To recap: Placekicker Rob Beard was hospitalized after a brawl, and later charged with assault — also against a woman.
Walk-on defensive end Matt Simms was cited for misdemeanor assault, allegedly in retaliation for Beard’s beating.
Also, two players are apparently under investigation after being accused of stealing laptops and a projector from a fraternity house. Police and other officials are mum, but rumors keep swirling.
(The policy of The Register-Guard is not to name the players because they haven’t been arrested or named as suspects or persons of interest in the case. But one of them is, well, high-profile and has been named by other media outlets. You know who I’m talking about.)
Have we missed anything? Other than a swift, serious response from Kelly, that is.
We got a statement on Wednesday, released by the school, in which Kelly expressed concern whenever players are “mentioned” in police reports and decided to “reserve further judgment or comment until further information is available.”
What we haven’t gotten from Kelly is any public display of outrage or urgency concerning the arrests and investigations, and the program’s shredded image. Or any serious sign that he’s cracking down.
The temptation is to write these incidents off, to call them isolated instances. That’s exactly wrong. These might be mistakes — or they might be miscreants — but they’re all Ducks, and perception becomes reality, so this is a team-wide trend.
There’s no way to quantify the damage, but the growing picture is of players with a sense of entitlement who won’t be restrained.
It’s Kelly’s program, and if it’s impossible to keep more than 100 players on the straight and narrow, well, he’s paid very well to do it anyway. And here, we should revisit the coach’s comments on discipline from not quite a year ago, when he was elevated to the top job.
“I told the players that playing football is a privilege,” Kelly said then, “and that with that privilege goes responsibility. The responsibilities will be black and white, and if you can’t adhere to those responsibilities, then we’ll deal with it on an individual basis, and the team rules will always take precedence.
“If someone is going to force me to choose between a player or the team, then I love you, but I’ll miss you.”
Sounded like Kelly would run a tight ship. But from what we’ve seen so far, the responsibilities might be black and white, but the consequences seem very gray.
Last September, LeGarrette Blount punched his way off the field and into the American consciousness. Kelly suspended him for the season, and there wasn’t any doubt as to his stance.
“That’s not what we’re about,” Kelly said then. “It’s not what we coach. It’s not what we stand for. And it’s unacceptable.”
Was there any chance Blount would play again for Oregon?
“No,” Kelly said, over and over — until it was suddenly “yes.”
Given the about-face, it’s easy to see how players might think rules might be malleable and punishments could be negotiable.
If so, it’s long past time for Kelly to disabuse them of the notion.
Surely, after recent events, Kelly has issued stern words of warning to the team. But he needs to go public. Also, the coach needs to explain that the next Duck arrested will be a former Duck.
And the guys who are already in trouble?
Simms, the walk-on, was dismissed from the team earlier this month, shortly after he was cited for misdemeanor assault.
James is Oregon’s second-biggest star. And then there’s the possible trouble for the other guy, who’s even more high-profile. They’re the reasons Oregon will be favored to make another run at the Rose Bowl.
If the accusations are proven correct, do they get Simms’ treatment, or Blount’s?
That’s Kelly’s dilemma, but it shouldn’t be. Because it would become a choice between players and the program they’ve tarnished.
Sorry, the coach should say, but we’ll miss you.
