The Royce White Timetable

[brucekaupa]

October 13th: Royce arrested at MOA for shoplifting and fifth-degree assault
November 3rd: News breaks on Royce's arrest
November 4th: Tubby announces Royce is suspended indefinitely
November 5th: Gophers play first exhibition game, without Royce
November 7th: Laptop stolen. Royce associated with theft
November 9th: Gophers play second exhibition game, without Royce
November 11th: News breaks that Royce is being investigated for laptop incident
November 13th: Gophers play first game, without Royce
November 14th: Tubby reiterates that Royce is still under suspension and says he's still cloudy on the incident. Says Royce won't be playing until he gets his issues taken care of.
December 3rd: Royce pleads guilty to both MOA charges
December 9th: Royce tweets
December 10th: Royce posts 'documentary preview' on YouTube...right after Smith says he wants to eliminate distractions
December 15th: Royce posts his 'truth about Tubby Smith' video on YouTube
December 16th: Video of incident at MOA made available
December 17th: Royce has missed 10 games. Laptop has been returned. Royce claims innocence. Case handed over to city attorney. City spokesman says charges usually take a month. Royce claims he is being treated unfairly. Maturi says suspension is justified that hints that there are potentially other issues affecting White's status with the program.
December 17th: Royce posts another video to YouTube saying he's done with the Gophers and is leaving college basketball. Reason: The situation is causing too much stress. Says suspension is unfair because he isn't guilty.
December 23rd: Tubby says Royce's suspension is still in place. Status is the same...they need to get through their issues.
December 31st: False reports that Royce attended practice. Damn Grandpa.
January 20th: Royce practices with Gophers
January 22nd: Rather than being cleared, Royce charged with three counts of misdemeanor trespassing. Court date set for early February. Note the charges came about a month after the city got the case....which is right about the time they said they would come. Royce has a high GPA. Maturi says White is still suspended, but is still allowed to practice at discretion of Tubby.
February 2nd: Royce has court date. Says he has stopped going to class and will probably never put on a Gopher uniform. Says he hasn't practiced in 2 weeks (didn't he *start* 2 weeks ago?!?) Royce will be back in court for the trial on February 9th because Royce's attorney unsuccessful in reaching plea agreement. Maturi restates that White is suspended until the legal proceedings are complete.

 

[brucekaupa]

The message from Maturi and Tubby seems pretty clear to me...not sure why Royce is confused.

We'll talk to you about playing after your legal troubles are resolved.

Resolved means:
- No outstanding charges, regardless of what those charges are

Resolved does NOT mean:
- You tell us you're innocent

 

[GopherJake]

The message from Maturi and Tubby seems pretty clear to me...not sure why Royce is confused.

We'll talk to you about playing after your legal troubles are resolved.

Resolved means:
- No outstanding charges, regardless of what those charges are

Resolved does NOT mean:
- You tell us you're innocent

I really don't understand how RW or anyone on this board could see it any other way. Unless you are quite used to the idea of everyone bending over for you.

 

[figi]

The message from Maturi and Tubby seems pretty clear to me...not sure why Royce is confused.

We'll talk to you about playing after your legal troubles are resolved.

Resolved means:
- No outstanding charges, regardless of what those charges are

Resolved does NOT mean:
- You tell us you're innocent

Right on! On campus women ask for escorts to pass safely across campus. Just the other day there was a shooting. Muggings and thefts happen every day. The police believe Royce knows who took the laptop. Their first priority is to protect the University population. They don't have the luxury of worrying about whether he can play basketball or not.

 

[station19]

Quote:
Originally Posted by brucekaupa
The message from Maturi and Tubby seems pretty clear to me...not sure why Royce is confused.

We'll talk to you about playing after your legal troubles are resolved.

Resolved means:
- No outstanding charges, regardless of what those charges are

Resolved does NOT mean:
- You tell us you're innocent

I really don't understand how RW or anyone on this board could see it any other way. Unless you are quite used to the idea of everyone bending over for you.

+1

Look at Trevor's situation. Was stated he would not play until his legal situation is resolved. He has gone to practice and gone to class. He has not gone on u-tube or to the media complaining about how he was treated, and the situation seems quite clear.

I would love to see Royce play for the Gophers but I have a problem with attention starved people.

 

[Roy Christensen]

All this is great as long as it is only Royce who suffers from this situation. After all can anyone argue that his actions are what started all this? However the affect of this has IMO negatively impacted the teams performance and the program as a whole. This has not been good for Gopher basketball and therefore I question the actions of those whose job it is to look after the welfare of the program. Is anyone happy with the current situation? Does anyone believe the best course going forward is to preserve the current status?

 

[MRJ]

All this is great as long as it is only Royce who suffers from this situation. After all can anyone argue that his actions are what started all this? However the affect of this has IMO negatively impacted the teams performance and the program as a whole. This has not been good for Gopher basketball and therefore I question the actions of those whose job it is to look after the welfare of the program. Is anyone happy with the current situation? Does anyone believe the best course going forward is to preserve the current status?

Obviously, this entire situation has hurt the coaching staff, the players and the program. But that's the thing with being a hyped recruit, which is what Royce White is. With today's communication technology being what it is, information travels quickly. And as a result, any transgression committed also does so. And that's what Royce is finding out. Nevertheless, Royce has also used these mediums to play himself up as a victim of some kind, which has added fuel to the fire. So again, this falls almost entirely on Royce White, who first got himself into trouble, then went on Youtube and facebook over and over again to "tell his side of the story" and announce weeks ago that he was "leaving" college basketball. Instead of dealing with things as Mbakwe has, by going to class and practicing with the team, Royce instead decided to play up the "victim" card as much as possible and people are now buying it. That's what caused the damage here, not anything anyone else associated with the program did.

 

[Roy Christensen]

Obviously, this entire situation has hurt the coaching staff, the players and the program. But that's the thing with being a hyped recruit, which is what Royce White is. With today's communication technology being what it is, information travels quickly. And as a result, any transgression committed also does so. And that's what Royce is finding out. Nevertheless, Royce has also used these mediums to play himself up as a victim of some kind, which has added fuel to the fire. So again, this falls almost entirely on Royce White, who first got himself into trouble, then went on Youtube and facebook over and over again to "tell his side of the story" and announce weeks ago that he was "leaving" college basketball. Instead of dealing with things as Mbakwe has, by going to class and practicing with the team, Royce instead decided to play up the "victim" card as much as possible and people are now buying it. That's what caused the damage here, not anything anyone else associated with the program did.

I guess I disagree that power in this situation belongs solely to Royce and that extremely well paid and highly qualified people who are entrusted to look after the UM basket program are helpless to end this debacle and move the program forward on a positive note. I see the victim as being the supporters of the team and those players whose name is not Royce White

 

[freshtrout]

Over/Under

10 reasonable posts in a row? We're at 7 .... I'll go under.

 

[howeda7]

My only problem with this is if typical Joel Maturi dithering is the cause of the length of the suspension. If Royce has indeed caused many other issues that we 'don't know about' and Tubby flat-out didn't want him playing yet, fine. If he's actually done nothing wrong but the MOA incident, and Tubby would like him to play, but can't say so because Maturi's taking a hard-line on the 'no playing until all legal issue resolved' stance, then I have a problem with this.

Royce's situation is not the same as Mbakwe, and if his current status is purely based on the UPMD's 'unresolved' case, he should have been allowed to play the moment all they came up with was the tresspassing. It was obvious from that point forward that the whole situation was over-blown at best and a joke at worst.

I guess bottom-line is that I trust Tubby, I dont' trust Maturi. If Tubby's the one keeping him out, I'm confident there are valid reasons. If Maturi's the one keeping him out, I don't. The fact that they have never made this clear is both of their faults, IMO.

 

[MRJ]

I guess I disagree that power in this situation belongs solely to Royce and that extremely well paid and highly qualified people who are entrusted to look after the UM basket program are helpless to end this debacle and move the program forward on a positive note. I see the victim as being the supporters of the team and those players whose name is not Royce White

Could you please explain what you think could have been done differently to minimize the damage? I tend to think that when you have a character like Royce White (who seemingly invites a circus whether he is on the court, in a court, in school or near a video camera) the damage will be done regardless. The only way to minimize the damage would be to kick him off in such cases would be to kick off the team period imo. And if some folks believe that was the best measure and are upset that Tubby and Maturi kept him around longer, then I can understand that. They took a chance that the kid could change things around and for now, appear to have been burned.

Is that what you think should have happened?

 

[brucekaupa]

I guess I disagree that power in this situation belongs solely to Royce and that extremely well paid and highly qualified people who are entrusted to look after the UM basket program are helpless to end this debacle and move the program forward on a positive note. I see the victim as being the supporters of the team and those players whose name is not Royce White

I don't think the team (or the University) should play any part in defending Royce or trying to speed his trial along. While his issues affect the team, they are not team issues.

He is being treated like any other student in that regard. How the dorm, the University police or the City of Minneapolis choose to handle the trespassing issue has nothing to do with the athletic program.

As far as Tubby's handling, I don't know what else he could really do. The charges against Royce weren't severe enough to cut him outright, but still...they were legal charges, so therefore you can't let him play until they are resolved.

Tubby and Maturi have been clear all along: Resolve your issues and we'll address the suspension.

And...just the other day, I would bet that Royce could simply say, "Yes, I trespassed."...but he's not willing to do that.

 

[millions2spare]

For the Anti-RW crowd on this post, you are going to get your wish! Then you can be rest assured that you will be watching the continued mediocrity of Gopher Athletics. You all and the Joe Matury's of the world can feel real good about your self serving insecure positions regarding student Athletes. These guys are basketball players, age 19 and are under scholarship contracts in academic good standing. These arrogant self serving standards set up by the AD (that you all agree with) are there to protect the insults hurled at him during the Bruster and Mason era. They are not for the benefit of the player or the University. Look at the "NOISE" surrounding this deal already! Look at the MONEY the Big Ten loses when the Gophers are not in the NCAA tournament and future recruits look at this school with continued bewilderment! I am not interested in having these players date my sister, come over to dinner, etc. I want them to play hoops and fulfill their contractual agreement with the University. However, I don't really care about their personal life either. I don't care about their course load, their like ability, or the staus of their Character. That is for their mentors and coaches to deal with. I am secure enough in my own self to overlook some obvious youthful flaws and hope the best for these kids futures. All I really care about is the Gophers making the NCAA tournament and winning basketball games. People get accused all the time of things they didn't do. So, where is the conviction? Where is the arrest? What about a real AD standard that says, you are innocent until proven guilty? If a player is arrested or convicted of a felony, as the standard? How about letting convictions Vs accusations being the timetable Vs the police's trumped up charges, extended investigations, and petty jawalking accusations to be the rule of law? Even Tubby said on his radio show that he was frustrated with the speed of justice.

How about it FOLKS? You want to WIN some games and let these kids be human - learn from their mistakes and coaches/mentors or do you want to continue the path we are on with this current AD--being the Judge and Jury (love the Power don't you!)..and watching (BB and Football continue in a free-fall)....
I say it is time for change.......But wait--you all are part of the GOOD NEIGHBOR crowd that still pines for the Gopher Football team of the 30's and 1960 and John Wooden like basketball teams but don't have a clue how to get there.....It starts with an attitude that desires to win and not feel good about your prejudice driven by insecurity.

 

[Roy Christensen]

MRJ,
First off let me apologise if my last response was putting words in your mouth that did not exactly represent what you initially said.
What would I do?
Option #1: Boot him and recruit someone else to take his scholarship.
Option # 2: Announce that Royce will not play this season and set a date to re-evaluate his status with the team.
Option #3: Reinstate him to full status.
It seems that they are leaning towards option #2 but somehow want to keep option #3 open.
Why? The program and team are being negatively impacted.

Are we to ten yet?

 

[MRJ]

MRJ,
First off let me apologise if my last response was putting words in your mouth that did not exactly represent what you initially said.
What would I do?
Option #1: Boot him and recruit someone else to take his scholarship.
Option # 2: Announce that Royce will not play this season and set a date to re-evaluate his status with the team.
Option #3: Reinstate him to full status.
It seems that they are leaning towards option #2 but somehow want to keep option #3 open.
Why? The program and team are being negatively impacted.

Are we to ten yet?

I already alluded to this by responding to one of your other posts in another thread, but I think every point you made was fair. In fact, I think you and I agree on #2 and probably #3. It's actually too bad that it's come to this in any case, whether it be from Royce, Tubby, or Maturi's perspective.

As for the ten, I think that m2s's last post may have put that number in jeopardy.

 

[station19]

.......RW crowd get your wish!................... self serving........................................ These guys are basketball players............................. "NOISE"............I want them to play hoops............................ All I really care about is the Gophers making the NCAA tournament and winning basketball games..................don't have a clue

There I edited your post for you

 

[millions2spare]

unfortunately tubby is not going to have a chance to teach rw about life because of the idiotic moral standards placed on a 19 year old. You may not like his attitude, his MOA mistake, his Jwalking charge, his class load,his GPA (These are all irrelevent qualities people dislike about RW per other posts). But the facts are he has not been convicted of a felony, has not been arrested, only accused but is in fact a student with a 3.4 gpa in good standing and a hell of a Basketball player. If the standards the AD set were based on Innocent until proven Guilty. --hence The RULE of LAW--Tubby would have a chance to teach him the greater life lessons and this team would make the NCAA!

Sorry to be blunt--but bone heads like you have a hard time seeing the truth.