UCLA talked a good game Thursday, but then didn’t exactly back it up. Why not just suspend them for the season right now?
It was an extraordinary statement of both blatant guilt and quick forgiveness in the same confusing breath.
Dan Guerrero, UCLA athletic director, acknowledged Wednesday that freshmen basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley shoplifted items from three different stores during the team’s recent trip to China.
But Steve Alford, UCLA basketball coach, said that while the three players were “indefinitely’’ suspended, they could eventually play for the Bruins again this season.
During a crowded Pauley Pavilion news conference in which no questions were allowed, but plenty of questions were raised, the three players publicly apologized by reading from prepared statements, then Alford and Guerrero read statements explaining the situation and consequences.
The situation didn’t match the consequences.
The three players first admitted to shoplifting, and Guerrero detailed the crime.
“They took the items from three of those stores without paying for them. They then returned to the team hotel with those items,’’ acknowledged Guerrero.
Then Alford, while announcing the players’ suspension, opened the door for them to return this season.
“These three young men will remain suspended indefinitely from our program as we work through the review process with the university’s office of student conduct,’’ Alford said. “During that indefinite suspension, they will not travel with the team nor will they suit up for home games. At some point, they may be permitted to join team workouts, practice and meetings, but that timeline is yet to be determined.’’
Review process? What more needs to be reviewed? The school has a review process it has to go through, but why should that apply to whether they play for the basketball team? They acknowledged they committed a crime that caused an international incident. What more do Alford and Guerrero need to see?
Why not just suspend them for the season, right now? UCLA talked a good game Thursday, but then didn’t exactly back it up.
“They are good young men who exercised an inexcusable lack of judgment,’’ Alford said.
Well, not entirely inexcusable, if the kids can still play basketball for them this season.
“Quite frankly… unacceptable,’’ Guerrero said.
Well, for now.
Earlier in the day, President Trump took credit for negotiating the players’ release from China, tweeting, “Do you think the three UCLA basketball players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!’’
For the record, each of the three players thanked the president.
“These young men are going to have to prove their words and action, this is not who they are,’’ Alford said.
After refusing to deliver the appropriate penalty Thursday in the wake of arguably one of the worst off-court incidents in its vaunted basketball program’s history, one must ask, who, exactly, is UCLA?
