PJS Reporter Calls Readers Hypocrites

[Bravesguy]

Bill Liesse refers to "many people" as hypocrites, and states that "Publicity, at a minimum, is out of whack" in the Jamar case.
I would simply ask who is responsible for that publicity?
I think it is the media folks, and as Sports Editor, why is he putting the blame on the readers?

http://pjstar.com/stories/030607/BIL_BCIICL9O.083.php

[tornado]

Some of the publicity has indeed been very inaccurate.
Over on the PJ Star message board (run, by the way, by the PJ Star) there has been discussion for over a week that Brian Carlwell's blood alcohol level was zero.
I am stumped how the person who posted that could know, when in fact Jamar's grandfather seems to state unequivocally the opposite,
"This was called power shots or something, to see how much you could drink in an hour. Jamar and Brian were both blasted. They both were drinking, and everyone knows that."

http://pjstar.com/stories/030607/ILL_BCIJJN0E.072.php

By the way, you can do your own search if you want, but there have only been a couple discussions on this board about Jamar, mostly discussing the facts of his case and his court action. I agree it has been the press both locally and even nationally that has taken this case and made a huge deal out of it the same way they make talentless people like Anna Nichole into worldwide mega-stars.
Bill Liesse does indeed post on the Illinois message boards, so I also would like for him to explain who he is criticizing?
(as seen in this discussion when he embarrassed himself by ripping into Eric Gordon and Gordon's family then went public on the message boards with his retraction and apology)

http://www.bradleyfans.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4381

[Illini Fan]

Bill Liesse calls us hypocrites and asks all of us to be forgiving and not condemn Jamar Smith for his obvious legal transgressions. "Where's the victim?", he asks.

Is this the same Bill Liesse that ripped Eric Gordon and his father, calling the 17 year old "that steaming pile of 2 guard"?
Excuse me, but what law did Eric Gordon or his father break?
Who is the real hypocrite here?
It seems like Bill liesse has just defined himself as the ultimate hypocrite!
It's OK to judge a 17 year old kid who has broken no laws or rules, because it hurts his beloved Illini. But he will not tolerate the public's judgement (he even quotes a bunch of lines from the bible completely out of context) of a kid who has broken several laws, committed possible felonies, was drinking excessively (which is against team rules), and left his teammate for dead, and yet was back sitting on the team's bench a few days later.

At least Ron Zook seems to have a more realistic sense of what is proper. He has acted swiftly and suspended 2 football players who are merely accused of burglery (isn't that exactly what Luther Head was guilty of?). Maybe Bill Liesse should vent his forgiveness crap toward Ron Zook.

I, for one, am sick of the Illini basketball program overlooking thugs and felons in the interest of winning games.
And, Bill, please spare us the biblical references.

[squeaky]

OK, I just read the PJ Star articles.
Jamar was guilty of boozing heavily, driving drunk, causing an accident entirely by himself, causing property damage and serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of the accident (which is a felony), and showing great disregard for Brian Carlwell. He still hasn't called authorities for help or to report the accident. It seems like he has broken a number of team rules, in addition to a number of laws, and caused great embarrassment to the Illinois program.

And according to the article, he has not been officially suspended or punished in any way by Bruce Weber, who invited him back to sit on the team bench the Feb. 21 game.

Does the PJHS writer think that's appropriate? Shouldn't Weber show some backbone? Don't all these violations of team rules and laws deserve some clear punishment?

I agree with one thing- the hypocrisy here is most obvious with the way the media reports and handles this. The Illinois fans among the media think it's all overblown, and the poor kid just had a lapse of judgement. Just like the Mike Nadel article yesterday. Because he is a friend of Rob Judson, he writes a whole article imploring Northern Illinois not to fire him.
If it was any other coach, he would have ripped him for his poor record. In this case, Liesse asks for forgiveness, yet he was quick to condemn Kelvin Sampson and Eric Gordon for the unforgiveable transgression of taking away Illinois' top recruit.

[it's boogie time]

I stopped reading the article when it said there were no injuries.

[Da Coach]

Yes, I guess if there is no victim, as the author says, we shouldn't consider it a crime. I'll try that with the next cop that tickets me for speeding.

We should also try to convince Mothers Against Drunk Driving that it's often a victimless crime.

[tornado]

Do we know there was no victim?
Who's gonna pay for the massive damage to the Reverend's car?
Was there significant monetary damages to the property or the tree?
Surely there were huge expenses that someone's going to have to pay for the medical care rendered and the 911 costs to the emergency response system.

But I am curious about one other thing.
The news reports, and even the testimony coming from Jamar's grandfather seem to confirm that MANY of the Illinois basketball players were drinking heavily at the party, on a weeknight with classes scheduled the next morning, and many of them were underage.
The names given were Jamar Smith (19 years old), Brian Carlwell (19 years old), Chester Frazier (20 years old), and the rest of the players who were at the drinking party have yet to be named publicly BUT, the reports I have seen unofficially from people who lived at those apartments also hint that at least one or two other underage players were there drinking.

Does the Illinois program have NO RULES against drinking underage? I'll bet if they looked at their own rules, they'd find that they do have rules against it.
Even the SIU program, as lax as they have been with discipline, earlier this year suspended one player merely for drinking underage.

How come the Illini staff have made ABSOLUTELY no effort to find and discipline this illegal activity by their players?
They act as if it didn't happen, and all those players are still playing or practicing...even Jamar is still practicing!

I have also lost lots of respect for them, and despite the hypocrisy name-calling by Liesse, if any of my children were caught drinking underage and were involved in a total mess like this where drunken individuals were driving, causing great bodily injury, and failing to render aid or call authorities, I would handle it myself, and you wouldn't have to wait for the coach to act!
I am not the hypocrite here, I believe in discipline and holding to the rules.
It is Liesse who is demanding we suspend the rules here and forgive...
What would that lead to in this day of almost daily lawbreaking by athletes in colleges, if we simply forgave and looked the other way every time.
Thankfully Zook feels differently.



PS-- who was the victim in the activity that cost Ray Brown a full year?
And which cost Mike Suggs his full scholarship at BU?
And which cost Will Franklin a 6 game suspension and POB an 8 game suspension?

[BU Firsty]

Bill Liesse calls us hypocrites and asks all of us to be forgiving and not condemn Jamar Smith for his obvious legal transgressions. "Where's the victim?", he asks.

Is this the same Bill Liesse that ripped Eric Gordon and his father, calling the 17 year old "that steaming pile of 2 guard"?
Excuse me, but what law did Eric Gordon or his father break?
Who is the real hypocrite here?
It seems like Bill liesse has just defined himself as the ultimate hypocrite!
It's OK to judge a 17 year old kid who has broken no laws or rules, because it hurts his beloved Illini. But he will not tolerate the public's judgement (he even quotes a bunch of lines from the bible completely out of context) of a kid who has broken several laws, committed possible felonies, was drinking excessively (which is against team rules), and left his teammate for dead, and yet was back sitting on the team's bench a few days later.

At least Ron Zook seems to have a more realistic sense of what is proper. He has acted swiftly and suspended 2 football players who are merely accused of burglery (isn't that exactly what Luther Head was guilty of?). Maybe Bill Liesse should vent his forgiveness crap toward Ron Zook.

I, for one, am sick of the Illini basketball program overlooking thugs and felons in the interest of winning games.
And, Bill, please spare us the biblical references.

Very insightful comments. You should share them with Mr. Liesse

[Murph]

Quote by Liesse ...."In an incident with, ultimately, no injuries".

Crtitcle condition means there were injuries, just ask whoever it is that going to pay that bill and who isn't playing because of head injuries.

What the he!! is he smoking?

[Dubl R 1]

Quote by Liesse ...."In an incident with, ultimately, no injuries".

Crtitcle condition means there were injuries, just ask whoever it is that going to pay that bill and who isn't playing because of head injuries.

What the he!! is he smoking?

Newport unfiltered, and occasionally a large peace pipe packed with the sweaty practice socks and jerseys of past Illini greats. Andy Kaufman, Richard Keene, Jerry Gee, and Bryant Notree, just to name a few. He rears back, takes a long big drag, then writes a column until he passes out.

[Dallas Brave]

You gotta admit it though, it was very generous of KW to step down and let ol' Bill ascend to the pulpit for a bit. The air is a little cleaner up there and it is easier to think more clearly when you get a bit of seperation from the rabble below. Plus, it is a lot easier to spot those nasty hypocrites out among the masses from the elevated platform.

[romar]

Boers & Bernsy on the Score were taking ol' Bill to task this afternoon for this article. The only thing I didn't like is that they lumped all of Peoria into the mix as if he was speaking for the sentiments of the whole town with this tripe he calls an article.

[houstontxbrave]

I have personally had it with this situation and the applogists both for Smith and the U of I's athletic department.

I couldnt stomach reading all of the entire Liesse article and then there is this tidbit from Smith's Grandfather.

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/030607/ILL_BCIJJN0E.072.php

Apparently he is now the spokesman for the Smith defense through the media and because grandfather says its so there is no debating what Smith did, only that he deserves remose and from his first article from the Suntimes over the weekend Smith is apparently a heroic figure in all of this.

I am wondering why all of the tries at positive spin for Smith in the media? I am certain his attorney is above debating this case in th media, but it sure seems that is exactly what is happening.

Why cant anyone simply say or write Smith did this, he is respondsible and deserves the punishment that is accordance to the laws he broke?

[Dallas Brave]

Apparently he is now the spokesman for the Smith defense through the media and because grandfather says its so there is no debating what Smith did, only that he deserves remose and from his first article from the Suntimes over the weekend Smith is apparently a heroic figure in all of this.

"Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change."
- Jesse Jackson

[MacabreMob]

Boers & Bernsy on the Score were taking ol' Bill to task this afternoon for this article. The only thing I didn't like is that they lumped all of Peoria into the mix as if he was speaking for the sentiments of the whole town with this tripe he calls an article.

I missed the Score chat...

...but I (embarrassed to admit) caught a couple local yokels (Markley and Luciano ? ) yapping about it on 1470 and they are ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS as to the details about this situation.

But hey... they're 'great americans'.