UI reputation will be harmed if this situation is handled poorly.....but I believe the opposite will be the case (the University and DIA receiving kudos and respect) if handled properly
TSJ Thread
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I just don't think that's possible. Being honest, if this were a student-athlete at any other school, I probably wouldn't be absorbing any more of the story than "X school is playing their superstar even though he's been charged with rape." If the panel firmly believes that the charges have no merit, they should reinstate TSJ despite the PR nightmare that will ensue. But make no mistake, it will be a PR nightmare if the suspension is dropped before the charges are dismissed no matter how hard Whitman and the school point out flaws in the allegations.
There is a hearing scheduled for 01/09/2024 at 1:30 pm case # DG-2023-CR-300181
Retro62
- North Bethesda, Maryland
I hope he's back by the 21st...after the rape charge has been dropped. As someone else pointed out, it would give him two home games and the game at NW (very pro-Illini) to begin playing again. I want to believe that TSJ is the guy I think he is, and I will support him until that is proven otherwise.
It certainly does make me think of how quick I have been to condemn athletes from other schools in the past. I know their fan bases probably had information that didn't get to the public either.
It certainly does make me think of how quick I have been to condemn athletes from other schools in the past. I know their fan bases probably had information that didn't get to the public either.
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That's DM-300181 which is a different case.
You are correct good sir, the DM & CR are switched. It is a ploy to keep Illini off balance.
uofi7477
- Silver & Gold Vandals
Well I agree IF handled poorly but qualified my statement by saying it IS being handled properly. What I thought I was conveying and generally agreeing with Sage is that if TSJ is found totally innocent, public opinion outside of here will be to still consider TSJ a bad guy, and furthermore IF he gets to play for the Illini again, it is just because of hoodwinks by the University of Illinois. As Sage said, his arrest was in the headlines, and the recant IF it happens will be in a small article in the back pages. No doubt JW will do an absolutely perfect job conveying final outcome and the process, but check with an average fan from say, Rutgers now, 3 months from now and in the future. If you have not read Sage's OP re the Court of Public Opinion, please do. Meanwhile, lets get Purdue!
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
I'm with you, which is why I think they're catching word of something changing re: the case. There's too much smoke about him coming back and not just from this board. I've been listening to Sleepers this morning and Greg has mentioned a few times that he expects TSJ to be back before the end of the season. Maybe he's got an eye on this board, but who knows?
But this is precisely why I don't care for this being handled in this manner. Unless the panel goes full cowboy and clears him to play with no change in his status (the riskiest and least likely decision the university could make at this point), what could the insiders possibly be hearing other that Illini-tinted hints and info? Most of this is entirely out of the hands of the university or anyone within the DIA.
I would wager most of what is known within the basketball program and outside public purview is coming directly from TSJ's camp, so will obviously be pro-TSJ. I'm happy they are confident in a positive outcome, but until the ink is dry on some type of resolution everything is speculative to some extent. I doubt the DIA does anything else until the outcome is decided. I think it would be foolish for them to make any kind of assumptions. As of now, he is being charged and the case is moving forward. Until those circumstances change, I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.
They are his friends and people he has spent almost every waking moment with for the last two years so Im sure he still does outside of basketball time.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
He’s also friends with young Underwood, so could see his info coming from him.
Would the DIA have access to whatever evidence the prosecution is planning to use? Would it have been turned over to the defense by now, and would it be possible for TSJ's camp to share it with the DIA? What about exculpatory evidence, which can be slow-walked and/or withheld by a corrupt DA? It wouldn't be the first time.
I ask because this would be a possible pathway to reinstatement before charges are dropped, with the UI panel acting as a psuedo-grand jury in the absence of an actual one. If the DA is the special individual we think she is, she's capable of all types of unethical behavior. Again, it wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.
I ask because this would be a possible pathway to reinstatement before charges are dropped, with the UI panel acting as a psuedo-grand jury in the absence of an actual one. If the DA is the special individual we think she is, she's capable of all types of unethical behavior. Again, it wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.
splitter
- and not Nebraska
Insiders and lawyers
Here's the part of Josh's public statement that leads me to believe that they think it is unfair to simply wait out the legal process:
... And so if for example, a student athlete is found guilty of a crime, then we will know, okay, well he's guilty of this. What does that mean in terms of his long-term status in our program? The challenge with that is that those processes take time.
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They take a long time. They can take months. In some cases, they can take a year in order for them to reach their full conclusion. The challenge that we have that athletic programs like ours face is what do you do in that interim period? What do you do during that period between when you receive substantiated allegations until a process is concluded through the court of law or through the Office of Student Conflict resolution? And that's really where our policy is designed to live, is in that intermediate period of time. The way we've chosen to approach it through our policy is that upon receiving sufficient triggering information, we will suspend immediately when we're talking about matters of, of serious misconduct, there are no questions asked.
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Once that happens, we then have a student, or I'm sorry, a university conduct panel that is convened and will meet within 48 hours of the initial suspension. That panel exists independent of the athletic department, and it will determine using the information that we have available at that given time, whether that suspension should remain upheld or should be amended or in some cases lifted. All together.
splitter
- and not Nebraska
could it be First Appearances 1-18 3pm?
Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
Thanks RML -
The whole point of JW's process is to make the best decision for the University and student athlete given the best available information and not wait for the legal system. Without the process, the DIA would would be forced to suspend/expel anyone accused as soon as the news becomes public (assuming, of course, that everyone cares about the optics)
If the panel feels that reinstating the student athlete will not damage the University or student athlete, then the suspension will be lifted. If they determine otherwise, the suspension will remain in place. In either case, the panel can be reconvened if "new information becomes available" - either for or against.
If the panel feels the suspension should be lifted, I trust the pending sh*t storm will be taken into account as part of the decision and how to manage going forward.
The value here is that the process is already defined and is outside of DIA. As such, any outcomes - good or bad - are as defensible as they can be.
I know we all have our eyes on Jan 18 but I want to reiterate that in my 12 years of court experience, I have never seen criminal charges dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing.
The DA can certainly choose not to pursue but I have very little hope the charges get dismissed by a judge at this stage.
The DA can certainly choose not to pursue but I have very little hope the charges get dismissed by a judge at this stage.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yeah, it would seem that best case (if this stays unchanged until 1/18) is that the additional details of the DA’s case are so flimsy that the panel uses it as an opportunity to reconsider?
Let’s all hope this goes away before then!
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
A judge might not dismiss, but could the DA decide to drop or downgrade the charges at that time?
They can do that today.
If the judge doesn't dismiss - does it all have to play out after that or could it be dropped soon after at another hearing?
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