Simpson and the supposed jail service...

[quietfan 233]

Anyone for a little oven-roasted crow?

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh....xml&coll=2

Simpson works at jail, school

Thursday, September 07, 2006

IAN R. RAPOPORT

News staff writer

TUSCALOOSA - It may not have been evident in Alabama's season opener last Saturday against Hawaii, but Crimson Tide linebacker Juwan Simpson is being punished by head football coach Mike Shula.

Simpson, who was arrested this summer on drug and gun charges, has spent time over the last few weeks performing various acts of community service, The Birmingham News has learned.

Simpson labored at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, Chief of Operations James Taggart told The News, doing anything from washing cars to cleaning equipment

Additionally, Simpson spent several hours working at The Rise School of Tuscaloosa, a school serving children with disabilities.

Shula, who received a firestorm of criticism from those who felt he did not properly discipline Simpson, maintains a policy of not commenting on such matters. He did so again Wednesday.

Following Saturday's 25-17 win over Hawaii, in which Simpson started the game and led the team with nine tackles, Shula would only say he "worked hard to prove himself."

Asked specifically about how he was disciplined, Simpson said Wednesday, "I'm not going to talk about that. It's all behind me now."

In June, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound senior from Austin-Decatur pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor that was to be erased upon completion of a drug program. He also paid a fine for a misdemeanor, carrying a gun without a permit.

He faced numerous questions regarding his status leading up to the game. The fact that he was the top returning tackler on a defense that was ranked No. 1 in the country last year only intensified the situation.

Simpson found out he was able to play when Shula nodded to him before the Hawaii game.

Still, there were penalties, and they are ongoing.

"He came down for a couple of hours and, as a matter of fact, he still has some time to do," said Taggart, who added that the punishment was set up by the Alabama coaching staff. "He did some car washing for us and other things. He was trying to squeeze it in between workouts. He's a real pleasant young man."

Taggart would not disclose Simpson's exact tasks.

"But anything we had him do, whether it might be cutting the grass or washing the vehicles, it was a lot," Taggart said.

The Rise School, which was founded in 1974 and is based in the Stallings Center, serves children from birth to 5 years old in West Alabama who have disabilities. Forty percent of the students are not disabled.

Dr. Martha Cook, the executive director of the Rise School, said she could not comment on the specific players who make appearances in her classrooms. But speaking generally, she said it is protocol for members of the Crimson Tide who have been disciplined to assist the teachers in her schools and verse themselves in other walks of life.

She said it's been that way for years.

"As did Coach (Bear) Bryant and Coach (Gene) Stallings, Coach Shula arranges for athletes who have broken team rules to do hours at our place," Cook told The News. "The disciplinary actions are not punitive in nature, but are intended to be learning experiences."

[DKW 86 7,426]

Anyone for a little oven-roasted crow?

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birmingh....xml&coll=2

Simpson works at jail, school

Thursday, September 07, 2006

IAN R. RAPOPORT

News staff writer

TUSCALOOSA - It may not have been evident in Alabama's season opener last Saturday against Hawaii, but Crimson Tide linebacker Juwan Simpson is being punished by head football coach Mike Shula.

Simpson, who was arrested this summer on drug and gun charges, has spent time over the last few weeks performing various acts of community service, The Birmingham News has learned.

Simpson labored at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, Chief of Operations James Taggart told The News, doing anything from washing cars to cleaning equipment

Additionally, Simpson spent several hours working at The Rise School of Tuscaloosa, a school serving children with disabilities.

Shula, who received a firestorm of criticism from those who felt he did not properly discipline Simpson, maintains a policy of not commenting on such matters. He did so again Wednesday.

Following Saturday's 25-17 win over Hawaii, in which Simpson started the game and led the team with nine tackles, Shula would only say he "worked hard to prove himself."

Asked specifically about how he was disciplined, Simpson said Wednesday, "I'm not going to talk about that. It's all behind me now."

In June, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound senior from Austin-Decatur pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor that was to be erased upon completion of a drug program. He also paid a fine for a misdemeanor, carrying a gun without a permit.

He faced numerous questions regarding his status leading up to the game. The fact that he was the top returning tackler on a defense that was ranked No. 1 in the country last year only intensified the situation.

Simpson found out he was able to play when Shula nodded to him before the Hawaii game.

Still, there were penalties, and they are ongoing.

"He came down for a couple of hours and, as a matter of fact, he still has some time to do," said Taggart, who added that the punishment was set up by the Alabama coaching staff. "He did some car washing for us and other things. He was trying to squeeze it in between workouts. He's a real pleasant young man."

Taggart would not disclose Simpson's exact tasks.

"But anything we had him do, whether it might be cutting the grass or washing the vehicles, it was a lot," Taggart said.

The Rise School, which was founded in 1974 and is based in the Stallings Center, serves children from birth to 5 years old in West Alabama who have disabilities. Forty percent of the students are not disabled.

Dr. Martha Cook, the executive director of the Rise School, said she could not comment on the specific players who make appearances in her classrooms. But speaking generally, she said it is protocol for members of the Crimson Tide who have been disciplined to assist the teachers in her schools and verse themselves in other walks of life.

She said it's been that way for years.

"As did Coach (Bear) Bryant and Coach (Gene) Stallings, Coach Shula arranges for athletes who have broken team rules to do hours at our place," Cook told The News. "The disciplinary actions are not punitive in nature, but are intended to be learning experiences."

Everybody I heard on this said it was part of his court ordered public service, not anything to do with Shula.

Folks, use your heads in this. SIMPSON, you know that guy supposedly doing the work here, said that CMS said nothing to him and did not punish him...

Please guys, wake up. I am on Lorcets and can see through this in 2 seconds. This is a CYA piece and a very poorly thought out one.

WAKE UP! Use ALL the facts here guys!!!

[AUloggerhead 2,238]

This thread should be nuked or merged with the other one. quietfan posted the same comment & article twice, now.

[DKW 86 7,426]

This thread should be nuked or merged with the other one. quietfan posted the same comment & article twice, now.

Split it out from the other one brainiac, though you would see that...

[abrnfanatc 6]

Just curious...

If the Bammerham news just learned of this and made it a point to show the public this quickly and it was the Tuscaloosa PD, then why was Cecil Hurt (editor of the Tuscaloosa News) still in the dark about any of this?

[quietfan 233]

This thread should be nuked or merged with the other one. quietfan posted the same comment & article twice, now.

Split it out from the other one brainiac, though you would see that...

Oh, okay! I thought I was the one on Lorcets for a minute and had forgotten what I posted.

My only point in posting the article was simply to show that there was work done at the jail and the article says "the punishment was set up by the Alabama coaching staff". It's certainly possible that the coaching staff was merely finding Simpson places to perform his court-ordered community service. [Would such assistance from the coaches in lining up community service constitute "extra benefits" from the NCAA's viewpoint, though?]

Certainly there's still plenty to argue about: How much community service has he done and how much was court-ordered vs. how much was Shula-ordered? Why did Simpson claim he didn't know his punishment? Why does Simpson say "it's all behind me now" while Taggart says "as a matter of fact, he still has some time to do"? Should he still have sat out a game? Is this just the tip of the iceburg in terms of problems with the program at UAT? Can SHhla and/or Juwan be any less competant when it comes to handling the press and public relations?

But those are all questions I'm tired of talking about for now--I imagine the debates will last forever. Pesonally, I just taking it at face value that he did do some work at the jail and I'm moving on in anticipation of the next scandal out of West Vance. I'm sure there's a new one just around the corner.

[GalensGhost 0]

This thread should be nuked or merged with the other one. quietfan posted the same comment & article twice, now.

Split it out from the other one brainiac, though you would see that...

Oh, okay! I thought I was the one on Lorcets for a minute and had forgotten what I posted.

My only point in posting the article was simply to show that there was work done at the jail and the article says "the punishment was set up by the Alabama coaching staff". It's certainly possible that the coaching staff was merely finding Simpson places to perform his court-ordered community service. [Would such assistance from the coaches in lining up community service constitute "extra benefits" from the NCAA's viewpoint, though?]

Certainly there's still plenty to argue about: How much community service has he done and how much was court-ordered vs. how much was Shula-ordered? Why did Simpson claim he didn't know his punishment? Why does Simpson say "it's all behind me now" while Taggart says "as a matter of fact, he still has some time to do"? Should he still have sat out a game? Is this just the tip of the iceburg in terms of problems with the program at UAT? Can SHhla and/or Juwan be any less competant when it comes to handling the press and public relations?

But those are all questions I'm tired of talking about for now--I imagine the debates will last forever. Pesonally, I just taking it at face value that he did do some work at the jail and I'm moving on in anticipation of the next scandal out of West Vance. I'm sure there's a new one just around the corner.

You can take it for whatever you want. I'm calling BS.

I live in close proximity to Tuscaloosa and have several friends who are deeply connected to the Bama program. They're not buying the post-dated "oh, yeah, he washed some cars" story either.

[Tygerman34 0]

Why worry about UAT? They are UAT and that in itself is a problem. Don't write or worry, they will self-destruct soon enough.

[GalensGhost 0]

Here's a tidbit for you...

The writer of this story is a brand-new hire in his first week of work for the News. He comes over as Bama beat writer from the Clarion Ledger where he wrote about MSU football.

His first story.

[abrnfanatc 6]

Here's a tidbit for you...

The writer of this story is a brand-new hire in his first week of work for the News. He comes over as Bama beat writer from the Clarion Ledger where he wrote about MSU football.

His first story.

Extremely expendable in other words...

[GalensGhost 0]

Here's a tidbit for you...

The writer of this story is a brand-new hire in his first week of work for the News. He comes over as Bama beat writer from the Clarion Ledger where he wrote about MSU football.

His first story.

Extremely expendable in other words...

Extremely gullible and trying to make a quick splash and endear himself to the Bama nation.

[DKW 86 7,426]

Here's a tidbit for you...

The writer of this story is a brand-new hire in his first week of work for the News. He comes over as Bama beat writer from the Clarion Ledger where he wrote about MSU football.

His first story.

Extremely expendable in other words...

Extremely gullible and trying to make a quick splash and endear himself to the Bama nation.

I wondered where I knew the name Ian Rappoport from. The red flag went off for me when I saw Mellick, Goldberg, etc had all passed on the article.

[Raven_tiger 5]

Next thing we'll hear is that the Northport Police Deparment was performing an "intervention" on behalf of Coach Shula...

I hope that some interesting questions will be answered about the circumstances surrounding this arrest, such as:

• the owner of the car
  
• the girl that was with Simpson
  

Enquiring minds would like to know...

[Tiger D 0]

Here is something to make bama fans a little uneasy.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas starting cornerback Tarell Brown and backup linebacker and special teams player Tyrell Gatewood were suspended for Saturday's game against No. 1 Ohio State after their arrest on misdemeanor charges.

Brown was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon after he was found with a loaded 9 mm handgun on his lap, according to deputies. Brown, Gatewood and Harris all were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana less than two ounces.

Link: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/5938096?FSO1&ATT=HMA

Seems like almost every coach knows what to do....

[quietfan 233]

Scarbinski chimes in:

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/ks....xml&coll=2

Mike Shula was wrong.

The Alabama football coach should've suspended Juwan Simpson for the season-opening game against Hawaii last weekend.

A suspension might or might not have been the best thing for Simpson, but it definitely would've been the best thing for Shula.

He would've been applauded. He could've been viewed in the same tough-guy light as his iron-jawed father, Don, and his steely-eyed mentor, Ray Perkins, and the granite-faced local legend, Paul Bryant.

Sidelining Simpson for one evening wouldn't have hurt him or his teammates too badly - Alabama would've beaten Hawaii with Jessica Simpson at linebacker - and it would've helped a young coach who still suffers by comparison with his predecessors and his peers.

Instead, Shula came off as just another Barry Switzer, minus the national championships and Super Bowl rings.

It's not a football coach's job to let the facts - which he has and the public doesn't - get in the way of a good perception. Perception is reality, and the perception of Shula has begun to sound like an attack ad on the Democratic candidate for governor.

The man just may be too liberal for Alabama.

Look at Watson Brown. He suspended defensive end Larry McSwain, the preseason C-USA defensive player of the year, for UAB's opener at Oklahoma.

Look at Tommy Tuberville. He suspended two potential starters at linebacker, Kevin Sears and Tray Blackmon, for Auburn's first game against Washington State.

Comparisons don't have to be fair to be damaging, and if the local comparisons didn't hurt Alabama enough, look at Texas.

Two Texas football players were arrested Monday on misdemeanor drug and gun charges. Kinda like Simpson. According to their attorney, both players passed a drug test after the arrest. Just like Simpson.

Unlike Shula, Texas coach Mack Brown suspended starting cornerback Tarell Brown and backup defensive back Tyrell Gatewood for this weekend's No. 1 vs. No. 2 game of the century against Ohio State.

It was a bold move that's been universally hailed. Does it make Brown right and Shula wrong? No, but it makes Brown look good and Shula look bad.

Part of Shula's problem is his don't ask, won't tell policy on discipline. That policy has fundamental flaws.

When you don't comment on discipline, it makes people wonder if your program has it. When you provide no answers, it increases the questions.

Here's a question: Why go against the policy and admit later that DJ Hall was suspended for the Hawaii game? That raises questions about what Hall did.

When your usual silence is based on an otherwise commendable desire to keep family matters private, you ignore the fact that the Alabama football family is the public face of a public university.

Shula didn't let Simpson get away with murder by letting him play - reminder: Simpson wasn't charged with murder - but the coach missed a golden opportunity to send the kind of message that other forms of punishment don't.

Shula did punish Simpson by making him wash cars at the Tuscaloosa County Jail and working with special needs children at The Rise School.

But nothing gets the public's attention like a suspension.

[AuNuma1 1]

Yeah, the jail thing was completely court ordered. The RISE program could have been handed down from Shula though.

Doesn't matter really...the damage has been done through all the shady perception. I just hope they don't try to wise up and boot Sheila out of T'town any time soon.

[quietfan 233]

I just ran across this--interestingly enough, from Tuscaloosa News sports editor Cecil Hurtt:

http://www.tidesports.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../609080346/1016

TUSCALOOSA | Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ted Sexton told The Tuscaloosa News on Thursday that it was “not uncommon" for college students to fulfill community service obligations at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where University of Alabama linebacker Juwan Simpson has been working recently.

However, Sexton noted that the jail is a “strenuous" community service option.

“It’s a labor-intensive program as opposed to some of the other kinds of community service programs," Sexton told The News.

Simpson’s work at the County Jail does count as part of the community service that was required as part of a plea agreement in Jefferson County court. Simpson entered a guilty plea June 29 to a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession and was placed in a program that could allow the charge to be erased from his record. He was sentenced to serve 50 hours of community service, pay $200 a month for drug-program dues, be subject to random drug testing and meet periodically with a case manager. He also paid court costs and a fine related to another guilty plea involving misdemeanor possession of a handgun.

“The only way we will take somebody [in the jail’s community service program] is with a court order, which came from Jefferson County in this case," Sexton said. “It is not unusual for the order to come from outside Tuscaloosa County. We have had students from all over the state who are in school here at the university or at Shelton State."

Sexton said he had not spoken with Crimson Tide head coach Mike Shula about Simpson’s case, but that he and James Taggart, the chief of operations at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, had spoken to “another coach at Alabama" about placing Simpson in the program. Sexton did not identify the coach.

“We would not take someone just for a team violation or something like that," Sexton said. “They have other punishments for that. (They Do? ) We do require the court order, but I think [the Alabama coach] wanted to be sure that [simpson] was in a tough community service program.

“We had him washing cars, cutting the grass, picking up trash and doing other manual labor details," Sexton said.

“When we get college students, we work the stew out of them. In fact, if they are big and strong, we work them harder."

Sexton said that community service workers did not interact directly with prisoners at the jail.

“We have enough projects to keep them busy," Sexton said. “It’s tough. For instance, when we loaded the trucks [with supplies] to go to New Orleans after Katrina last year, we used some of our community-service college students to do the loading."

The Birmingham News reported Thursday that Simpson was working at the jail and was also working at the Rise School of Tuscaloosa, an early childhood education program located on the UA campus.

Simpson played in Alabama’s opening game against Hawaii last Saturday game. Shula said at the time that Simpson “had proved himself to his coaches and his teammates" and was therefore allowed to play rather than serving a suspension. Since that day, neither Shula nor Simpson has had any additional comment concerning the matter.

This should put to rest any question of whether the jail work was part of his court punishment vs. team punishment, begging the question again., did he get any team punishment from Shula?

[kingfish 73]

Next thing we'll hear is that the Northport Police Deparment was performing an "intervention" on behalf of Coach Shula...

I hope that some interesting questions will be answered about the circumstances surrounding this arrest, such as:

• the owner of the car
  
• the girl that was with Simpson
  

Enquiring minds would like to know...

It has been going around that the girl has disappeared from public scrunity and many questions about the car remain unanswered .... what about some investigative reporting here?

[DKW 86 7,426]

Next thing we'll hear is that the Northport Police Deparment was performing an "intervention" on behalf of Coach Shula...

I hope that some interesting questions will be answered about the circumstances surrounding this arrest, such as:

• the owner of the car
  
• the girl that was with Simpson
  

Enquiring minds would like to know...

It has been going around that the girl has disappeared from public scrunity and many questions about the car remain unanswered .... what about some investigative reporting here?

We dont have an investigative reporter in Alabama, at least when it comes to the Tide.

[GalensGhost 0]

We dont have an investigative reporter in Alabama, at least when it comes to the Tide.

Maybe you do, but they might be hampered by what the people who decide what runs and what doesn't will allow.

[WinCrimson 61]

To say that the media is constantly gooey over Bama just isn't true. I see a ton of posts on this (and other) boards every day dealing with anti-Tide articles.

There are plenty of writers in the state who hate Alabama and write negative articles about the team/coaches. Surely you guys have noticed the "I bet he's recieved a million death threats from Tide fans today!" comments throughout the board.

[DKW 86 7,426]

We dont have an investigative reporter in Alabama, at least when it comes to the Tide.

Maybe you do, but they might be hampered by what the people who decide what runs and what doesn't will allow.

This can only mean trhat someone knows the truth and cant get it published?

If they would send us the story it would be on the frontpage in minutes...

We arent the NYT, but the rest of the world would have to talk about it then.

[DKW 86 7,426]

To say that the media is constantly gooey over Bama just isn't true. I see a ton of posts on this (and other) boards every day dealing with anti-Tide articles.

There are plenty of writers in the state who hate Alabama and write negative articles about the team/coaches. Surely you guys have noticed the "I bet he's recieved a million death threats from Tide fans today!" comments throughout the board.

WC, again this isnt about you or even Tide fans at all. It is about why no one in the press seems to even want to go after the truth on this big and getting bigger story, or that if they get a story, they cant get it in print.

Simple questions: Whose car was it? Where is the police report? Who is the girl? Is she really underage? Whose pot is it?

[WinCrimson 61]

Nobody knows the details except those that should. Is Scarbinsky the District Atty?

I see where you're coming from... but I think a lot of people need to realize that there is no sunshine law on this kinda stuff. It's just private.