They have a great opportunity right now to seize some serious momentum going into the playoffs if they can improve the perimeter guard defense.

1. He had broken up with her.
2. He did ask her to leave and she refused.
3. You do have the right to remove someone from your premises.
4. The new girlfriend did call the police, which only ended up with James getting arrested because of the Abuse Prevention Act.

Why would you expel someone for a single misdemeanor?

Let’s not forget that James was protecting one female from another. His new girlfriend felt threated enough to call James for help. When someone refuses to leave your premises you have the right to physically take action.

Quit making excuses for the person just because she has female anatomy.

You can’t just walking around pushing people, especially women. Sometimes I get the feeling that these players can do whatever they want, and not get in trouble, which is probably exactly what they think. But I don’t know if anyone heard this, but there was a man saying on The Bald Faced Truth that James had the right to protect his property, and shouldn’t be charged.

Well, what an idiot that guy was. There are about ten different ways you could have handled the situation and NOT get in trouble for it. Truth is, he should probably be expelled, James. How would you like you’re college daughter getting pushed around by some 235 pound football player?

And I know ther’s way more to the story than that, but you still don’t have the rights to push a girl down to get her to shut up. You have the rights to call law enforcement. You have the rights to verbally ask her to leave. You have the rights to break up with her. But not that. You can’t do whatever you want and push a woman down. No. You can’t do that.

Dwight, I raised my eyebrow a bit at your statement that James should feel lucky. In many eyes, he’s now painted forever as a woman beater. This rep, earned or not, will follow him for decades. The conviction will remain on his rap sheet. The weeks of living under a two-mile restraining order that effectively banished him from campus and classes near the end of the term will affect his grades. Nationally, his name will always be included in the top billing with Masoli as the faces of the Oregon football crime wave. And around the state, whatever success he enjoys will be cheered a little less loudly, all because of an uninvited late-night house call from a jilted lover. I’m sure he feels like the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

As for Masoli, it’s getting easier for me to view him as the strong-armed robber than the humble star. If this was nothing but a prank, I would have expected the stolen items to have been returned long ago–as in the day afterward. Theft, though very common, is fairly abhorrent to me. I think this crime deserves even harsher punishment than what was meted out here. Kelly’s full-year suspension is merciful. I would be happier to see him gone for good.