I don't know what the college rules are on leaving the bench, but I think Fredie Williams will be suspended. I also think James Thomas will be suspended for throwing punches. This whole mess started cause one fan couldn't keep his emotions in check. IMO, I don't think any players should be punished until the guy gets charged with something like assault. Too bad he wasn't thrown in jail for the night. It would be really unfair for the guy to get off free while the players have to suffer. I hope his wife is okay. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oh well its over. Next up Providence on Big Monday.
You want to arrest this guy for pushing a player back who just ran over his pregnant wife yet you think James Thomas will be suspended for jumping into the stands to throw punches at fans? That's disgusting man.
Instead of snapping dude should have been helping his freakin' pregnant wife off of the floor. I hope she is ok but he needs another punch in the face. OS
Why? All James Thomas saw was that the best player on his team, a guy with neck problems, was being <B><I>choked</I></B>. Meanwhile, the idiot who was choking T.J. Ford should've realized that the contact was anything but intentional. Your anti-UT bias is showing through again.
He did a little more than push. The scary part of this situation is that there are thousands of fans and 15 players/coaches. I have never liked punishing players coming to the aid of teammates because most of the time the aggressor is bigger or has numbers. My initial reaction at the game was that more OSU fans were involved. Hopefully, the NCAA will increase security at games to prevent similar occurrences.
Oh my anti-UT bias, of course. LOL Anytime someone disagrees with a bunch of myopic UT fans it's "bias" even if the stats back you up. That must be in the code of conduct over at HornFans.com, that bastion of reason and impartiality. TJ Ford wasn't being choked and even if he was, he's a grown man and a collegiate athlete who got help from a teammate to body slam the fan to the ground. James Thomas had no reason to charge into the stands throwing punches at anyone and he's the one who should have been dragged off in handcuffs. No one here knows what was said in the crowd by the fan or Ford until an investigation has concluded but it's clear that Thomas wildly ran into the stands to become the first person in the entire mess to actually throw a punch. Of course though, James Thomas was defending the best player on the team while the fan was just defending his FALLEN PREGNANT WIFE so I can definitely see your point there. Maybe we could charge the fan with battery for grabbing Ford and then charge Thomas with assault and maybe up that to manslaughter if the poor woman loses her child as a result of the melee.
Ford and Ivey jumped into the crowd chasing a loose ball. Ivey accidentally runs into a pregnant woman. Her idiot husband grabs Ford by the neck choking him. All Thomas, or any other UT player sees is that one of their players, regardless of how good they are (I shouldn't have made the distinction), is being choked (have you even seen the replay, Ford is being choked by the idiotic fan). Ford has missed time this year because of his neck. That's all Thomas saw. He spent his time on the court and on the bench watching the play on the hardcourt, not noticing if any pregnant women were sitting courtside or a couple of rows back just in case one of his teammates were actually hustling after loose balls. He came in doing what he thought he should do to protect his teammate. I'll go ahead and assume that if he knew the entire situation, fisticuffs wouldn't have been his first choice-I'm sure he'll be suspended by Barnes for a few games. I'm not sure how that equates into disgustedness.
You defend Thomas for throwing punches because Ford's had neck problems and then you trash the fan for defending his friggin pregnant wife? Are you serious? This is what happened. A Horn player knocked down a pregnant woman, her husband grabbed a player with both hands near his shoulder/neck area, two UT players slammed the fan to the ground, and then a third player ran off the court and jumped into the melee wildly throwing punches. Ford was clearly in his right to defend himself but Thomas was just out there to throw some blows. There's such a thing as excessive force and I think three college athletes against a fan laying on his back would fit that criteria pretty well. I'd be curious to hear what OSU fans have to say on it. The initial replay looked like the woman got nailed and fell backwards on her head but that ESPN replay looks like she just stumbled and fell softly. Oh well...
If that fans wife was so pregnant what were they doing sitting on the front row or rather so close to the floor? I think its more their fault than the players. GEEEZ! For crying out loud take care of your pregnant wife BEFORE this kinda **** happens. Take precautions and don't sit on the front row of a basketball game. **** happens.... Anyhow, the player that knocked the prego down by accident immediately reached down to help and see if the lady was ok, but the husband snapped and decided to choke the player immediately instead.
Maybe it's not your bias but your blindness. Before I go any further, I'm not a UT fan. If you must know I'm a Louisville Cardinal fan. Having said that, what video replay were YOU watching? It couldn't be any clearer...the guy put both hands around Ford's neck, when Ford resisted the guy put him in a head lock. I'm sorry, but after that whatever happens to the guy he deserves. It wasn't as if everyone was going to clear out and let Ford and that guy go at in one on one. As I said before, he should have been checking on his pregnant wife on the floor and worrying less about Ford. OS
I shouldn't even respond to this because you are obviously biased. Pushing? Excuse me but what game were you watching? Even the referees acknowledged TJ Ford was being choked. The man took two hands to TJ's neck. Is that not enough for you Timing? Why do you keep defending this man's actions? Defending his pregnant wife? BS. The man should have helped his wife up. It was a freakin accident. Instead he tried to show he was a little tough guy and got body slammed. Thomas was defending his teammate (excessively and should be suspended). Also, did you see the Okie that tried to kick Ivey in the head? No, I bet you missed it. I stand by what I wrote. No one should be punished until the tough guy is fined or charged with something. I guess its okay with you for fans to throw beer bottles and take two hands to a player's throat since he is a man and can defend himself. And if nothing happens to the guy, he probably has some well deserved bruises. btw, I would like to know what your favorite school/alma mater is? It has nothing to do with this topic but would help me in understanding why you hate UT.
how could there even be any question in this man's mind at the time that t.j. ford somehow intentionally targeted his wife to take out in the crowd??? i guess we're all different, but i can't imagine having the reaction he did..immediately going for the chokehold! i mean, we see players running into fans all the time..this was nothing new! i think i'd be helping my wife up off the ground and asking her if we need to be heading to the hospital. when you sit that close to the game, you assume some risk. osu better back those fans up off the court in the future.
OSU Boards: http://oklahomastate.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=932&fid=193&style=2 http://ostate.firstdownsports.com/cgi-bin/wwwthreads/postlist.pl?Cat=&Board=pokeboard Pics from Hornfans: Notice the guy in the red shirt. Okie choking Ford
To clarify, I think the weak kick was intended for the mid section of Ivey. It was a wierd kick because his timing sucked, his depth perception was off, and he just left it out there. The pic shows Ivey after he passed the OSU student and then fallen.
http://hornfans.com/recruiting/rpongett/OSUredneck.mpg Clearly a choke. btw, I'm not sure that was an intentional quick, if it was, it was rather weak. Maybe he was off balanced. I wish Ivey would have noticed that (if it were a kick) and beat the crap out of the guy. I don't blame any UT players.
Why do you keep defending Thomas for wrecklessly jumping into the crowd to throw punches to "defend his teammate" saying he should be suspended and then you insist this fan should be arrested for "defending his pregnant wife"? I've already said the fan should be charged with battery but Thomas should be charged with a crime as well. You want to arrest the fan for doing LESS than Thomas did. Bias!?! Your BIAS is showing.
Thomas was defending his teammate from being choked by at least one fan, and possibly attacked by others(from the pictures, the guy in the fuschia shirt was trying to kick Ivey, not getting out of the way), the Okie St fan was trying to "defend" his wife from being apologized to. Jamees Thomas did not commit a crime, the Okie St fan did.
If this had happened on a street corner in front of a couple of cops, Thomas would be in jail right now along with the fan. He most certainly committed a crime but he's a college athlete so he'll probably just get his token slap on the wrist and be back out on the court as soon as possible.
The only crime James Thomas committed was aiding two teammates, one being choked the other being kicked. Yeah, he snapped and will be suspended for throwing punches, but he didn't initiate anything. If he did then I'd agree with you. whoop whoop
Well I'd hope the cops would have seen TJ being choked and Ivey being kicked. Fortunately for the man, UT declined to press charges.
