And...Samaji Grant gets a DUI

luteformayor2 · Post by **luteformayor2** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:14 pm

Lovely

3goggles · Post by **3goggles** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:05 pm

No way!

cat77 · Post by **cat77** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:24 pm

All the articles are saying he will not start the championship game. I would be surprised if rich rod let him play at all.

Olsondogg · Post by **Olsondogg** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:10 pm

He will play. A good kid that made a bad decision.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:31 pm

He shouldn't play. What a moronic decision. Should be suspended indefinitely

michcat · Post by **michcat** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 7:55 am

ASUHATER! wrote:He shouldn't play. What a moronic decision. Should be suspended indefinitely

I agree - dumb decision needs consequences. Next man up.

3goggles · Post by **3goggles** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:14 am

Shit way can't our police department cover this up like fsu did for #askjamis

prh · Post by **prh** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:21 am

I've been thinking about this since last night and decided I have a slightly different perspective based on my own experience. Skip ahead to last paragraph if you don't care haha

My senior year of high school, our baseball team was the #2 ranked team, and statistically light years ahead of every other team. Had two of the best pitchers in the state, scored far more runs than anyone else, allowed fewer than anyone else, and after 2 early losses we had rolled about 16 straight, including 2 beat downs of the previous year's state pitcher of the year. We were dominating and everyone expected us to ease into the championship.

However, at the end of the regular season, we had a pitcher and our SS gets MIPs, which got them suspended for two weeks. I don't want to relive the details, but you can guess how that turned out right before playoffs. The thing is, while they were punished for their actions, the rest of us were punished even more. We had a potentially once in a lifetime opportunity stripped from us, and it stills stings when I think about it (I'm only 25, so eventually I'll grow out of it I suppose). So as much they deserved to be punished, I wish it hadn't gotten all of us.

I say let him play. If him sitting out causes us to lose, you're not only punishing him but also the 100+ kids in the program, along with countless other coaches, support staff, and every single Wildcat fan. These kids have done a tremendous job this year, and it would be a shame to take that away from them for the (incredibly stupid) decision of a single one of them. There are plenty of ways to punish Samajie going forward, including an entire offseason. But let's not punish everyone else who hasn't done anything wrong. **For the record, I think this is an incredibly stupid decision and he should be punished far more than Bondo or Kadeem. But I don't want that punishment to include every one else involved.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:32 am

I just don't think you can "special circumstance" this. The story can't be that Ka'Deem sat out a game and a half because it was against cream puffs at the beginning of the season, but since we've got a conference championship at stake this is somehow different. If that was the punishment for catching his gf's fingers in a door and big-timing a security guard, then Samaji should get at least that much.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:40 am

prh wrote: I say let him play. If him sitting out causes us to lose, you're not only punishing him but also the 100+ kids in the program, along with countless other coaches, support staff, and every single Wildcat fan. These kids have done a tremendous job this year, and it would be a shame to take that away from them for the (incredibly stupid) decision of a single one of them. There are plenty of ways to punish Samajie going forward, including an entire offseason. But let's not punish everyone else who hasn't done anything wrong. **For the record, I think this is an incredibly stupid decision and he should be punished far more than Bondo or Kadeem. But I don't want that punishment to include every one else involved.

This is the type of justification-type argument that holds no water for me. Guess what, in team sports, EVERY SINGLE PUNISHMENT of an individual hurts the team more than the individual (well, ok, minus bench guys who never see the court/field). That's the way it works. You can't give a guy a pass just because "well, the rest of the team would suffer for it". Unless you want to become the type of school we mock for doing that type of thing.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:50 am

PRH, that's why it's called letting down your teammates. I think if he sits out the first half of a PAC 12 championship game, thats a pretty big deal. Sitting out a couple of inconsequential OOC games would not be as big IMO.

By all accounts he had been pretty responsible as had all the kids in the program. Still he must face the consequences. If its all game so be it. If its one possession, so be it. I think I will trust whatever RR and GB decide

whatisee · Post by **whatisee** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:58 am

Being young and making stupid decisions...there really are no excuses for this at all. IMO He's been the most clutch receiver all year and arguably the best receiver on the field this year. Huge blow being that we're already down Philips, and Neal seemingly unable to catch anything of late.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:21 am

Unfortunately, he has to be disciplined and Rich Rod can't show any leniency or else in the future when another player gets in trouble he could say "Grant was given special treatment, why not me?" Rich Rod always tells the players in the locker room after a win to be smart and not do anything stupid, so they have been warned. Luckily, this is probably the deepest position and I have no doubt a guy like Griffey will step up. Bear Down and beat Oregon!

Augdogs · Post by **Augdogs** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:52 am

On a lighter note, dude has some sick vision on the field getting serious YAC. Even the catches he makes are unreal.

When I use to smoke pot, I thought of crazy stuff like that but was stuck to the couch with a video game controller.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:56 am

Shouldn't even dress.

1. Weed
2. Minor in possession of alcohol
3. Driving while #1 and #2
4. Driving with out license
5. Seat belt violations?
6. Burnt out license plate light

All kinds of stupid there, perhaps not #6.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:57 am

Merkin wrote:Shouldn't even dress.

1. Weed
2. Minor in possession of alcohol
3. Driving while #1 and #2
4. Driving with license
5. Burnt out license plate light

All kinds of stupid there, perhaps not #5.

Wow with all that he should probably be kicked off the team in my opinion. Such a selfish move.

cat77 · Post by **cat77** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:58 am

Read the article. Its not good. He was cited for driving under the influence of "drugs". Probably pot. He is not 21 so he got another citation for possession of alcohol. And a third citation for no license. Sounds like a string of bad decisions not just one. Sorry but if Deem gets a game and a half Grant needs to sit the entire game. Yes it sucks but next man up. We are deep at receiver.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:06 am

Dumb but by all accounts he's been a model teammate up to this point. Should not dress for this game. 50/50 on whether he should play in the bowl game. Anything more than that would be overkill unless there's something else going on we don't know about.

Alieberman · Post by **Alieberman** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:12 am

Huge mistake in judgement. Hopefully he learns from it. But he cannot play on Friday. We are not Florida St. RichRod and Byrne have been pretty consistent on the message they have sent over the years. And our program is better for it

Next man up

Harvey Specter · Post by **Harvey Specter** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:12 am

Chicat wrote:I just don't think you can "special circumstance" this. The story can't be that Ka'Deem sat out a game and a half because it was against cream puffs at the beginning of the season, but since we've got a conference championship at stake this is somehow different. If that was the punishment for catching his gf's fingers in a door and big-timing a security guard, then Samaji should get at least that much.

Great post.... And one I cannot argue with.

My initial personal reaction is that he should be suspended for a half. Not that DUI is not a serious offense - it is, largely because so many otherwise good people can allow themselves to fall into the trap of getting one - and the results can be tragic. But the number of people who get caught is such a small fraction of the people who could/ should have...

By all accounts, Samaji is a really good kid who is generally quite responsible... And RR loves him. But he sure hit the jackpot with combined bad decisions in one episode.

if what is being reported is true, I am not sure how he isn't suspended for the entire game. A real shame that a kid with such a huge part in getting us to the game should miss the trip. I would imagine he'll learn his lesson... I hope his teammates do, too.

Lofty · Post by **Lofty** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:19 am

PieceOfMeat wrote:
prh wrote: I say let him play. If him sitting out causes us to lose, you're not only punishing him but also the 100+ kids in the program, along with countless other coaches, support staff, and every single Wildcat fan. These kids have done a tremendous job this year, and it would be a shame to take that away from them for the (incredibly stupid) decision of a single one of them. There are plenty of ways to punish Samajie going forward, including an entire offseason. But let's not punish everyone else who hasn't done anything wrong. **For the record, I think this is an incredibly stupid decision and he should be punished far more than Bondo or Kadeem. But I don't want that punishment to include every one else involved.
This is the type of justification-type argument that holds no water for me. Guess what, in team sports, EVERY SINGLE PUNISHMENT of an individual hurts the team more than the individual (well, ok, minus bench guys who never see the court/field). That's the way it works. You can't give a guy a pass just because "well, the rest of the team would suffer for it". Unless you want to become the type of school we mock for doing that type of thing.

Absolutely.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:20 am

Lute suspended Hassan for the PAC tourney when Adams picked up a DUI. Hassan was later acquitted.

TuiTouchdown · Post by **TuiTouchdown** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 12:49 pm

prh wrote:I've been thinking about this since last night and decided I have a slightly different perspective based on my own experience. Skip ahead to last paragraph if you don't care haha

My senior year of high school, our baseball team was the #2 ranked team, and statistically light years ahead of every other team. Had two of the best pitchers in the state, scored far more runs than anyone else, allowed fewer than anyone else, and after 2 early losses we had rolled about 16 straight, including 2 beat downs of the previous year's state pitcher of the year. We were dominating and everyone expected us to ease into the championship.

However, at the end of the regular season, we had a pitcher and our SS gets MIPs, which got them suspended for two weeks. I don't want to relive the details, but you can guess how that turned out right before playoffs. The thing is, while they were punished for their actions, the rest of us were punished even more. We had a potentially once in a lifetime opportunity stripped from us, and it stills stings when I think about it (I'm only 25, so eventually I'll grow out of it I suppose). So as much they deserved to be punished, I wish it hadn't gotten all of us.

I say let him play. If him sitting out causes us to lose, you're not only punishing him but also the 100+ kids in the program, along with countless other coaches, support staff, and every single Wildcat fan. These kids have done a tremendous job this year, and it would be a shame to take that away from them for the (incredibly stupid) decision of a single one of them. There are plenty of ways to punish Samajie going forward, including an entire offseason. But let's not punish everyone else who hasn't done anything wrong. **For the record, I think this is an incredibly stupid decision and he should be punished far more than Bondo or Kadeem. But I don't want that punishment to include every one else involved.

I'm sorry I have I disagree. If RRod doesn't punish Grant, what's to stop the next guys down the road to go out and party? RichRod isn't the one who's punishing the team, that's Grant with his irresponsibility. And I love Grant, but he needs to be taught that you can't do that shit. If he would have killed someone or been critically injured, we would be talking about something else entirely.

1 game suspension, if he's lucky.

wyo-cat · Post by **wyo-cat** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 12:53 pm

Grant WILL get punished for this situation. I have no doubt about it.

How he behaves this week might mitigate some of the punishment, but its gonna happen.

prh · Post by **prh** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 1:39 pm

Hey great takes everyone. I didn't expect anyone to agree with me-- as POM said, this is exactly the thought process that we would mock at any other school. Typically I feel the same as all of you do, I even did last night. I don't know I flipped overnight, but just like all of you, I trust RR to do what he feels is right and continue to make us all proud to be Wildcats.

Harvey Specter · Post by **Harvey Specter** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:58 pm

I think if his only punishment is that he is not starting, and the reports regarding the incident are accurate, this makes RR and our program look really, really bad. Some of those arguing for leniency would be crucifying any other program under similar circumstances.

That said - I have a feeling that there are details of this situation we do not yet know... otherwise I would be shocked that his only penalty is that he would not "start". Like he got cited because he had some alcohol in his system and is underage but not over the legal limit... and he was driving without a license because he was the most sober one in the group he was with.

From everything I know about Samajie (and I have some first-hand knowledge) he is a really solid and responsible kid.

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:19 pm

I don't have any inside information on this situation, but I'm pretty sure that the punishment will go far, far beyond playing time. It may involve some Breakfast Club, some field rolling, a lot of stairs, other punishments, or any combination. The playing time is just the public portion of the punishment, but RR keeps everything he can in-house on this stuff. Grant can earn his way back. Key word is "earn." At least that's what I gather from past issues players have had and the bits and pieces that have been mentioned about those.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:34 pm

Most of the charges in this case are really fluffy stuff that many of us do every day. The DUI is the only one of consequence, IMO, and they haven't revealed any details on that one yet. If it's a real DUI, then he needs to sit, but if he blew 0.05 or something, then I say the penalties should be negligible.

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:09 am

Puerco wrote:Most of the charges in this case are really fluffy stuff that many of us do every day. The DUI is the only one of consequence, IMO, and they haven't revealed any details on that one yet. If it's a real DUI, then he needs to sit, but if he blew 0.05 or something, then I say the penalties should be negligible.

It's not an either/or thing. He showed some very bad judgement and that has consequences. When you start making decisions like that, it's not that far from that to something like a nasty car wreck or things of that ilk. Remember the "be smart tonight" thing from RR? Even if the charges are dropped, he violated that one requirement and it's likely the coaches will require him to take his punishment. (By the way, I don't think most of us are getting high, driving under the influence, or driving without a license on a daily basis, but maybe that's just me.)

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 1:55 am

1. Weed
2. Minor in possession of alcohol
3. Driving while #1 and #2
4. Driving with license
5. Burnt out license plate light

Many people certainly possess weed and alcohol as minors when they're in college. Perhaps I'm unique, but I don't really consider that a punishable action. If it were, every frat and sorority would have to get booted off campus. Driving without a license? Sure it's dumb, but even I got cited for that while I was at the UA. No harm done, just pay the fine. It's a traffic violoation, not a crime. Burnt out licesnse plate light? Okay, fine. Get it fixed.

So what's left that's punishable? DUI, period. Like I said, if it's real DUI, then he needs to not travel for the game. If it's suspicion of DUI and he blew 0.025, the equivalent of half a beer, then I think some leniency would be warranted, don't you?

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 7:04 am

Puerco wrote:1. Weed
2. Minor in possession of alcohol
3. Driving while #1 and #2
4. Driving with license
5. Burnt out license plate light

Many people certainly possess weed and alcohol as minors when they're in college. Perhaps I'm unique, but I don't really consider that a punishable action. If it were, every frat and sorority would have to get booted off campus. Driving without a license? Sure it's dumb, but even I got cited for that while I was at the UA. No harm done, just pay the fine. It's a traffic violoation, not a crime. Burnt out licesnse plate light? Okay, fine. Get it fixed.

So what's left that's punishable? DUI, period. Like I said, if it's real DUI, then he needs to not travel for the game. If it's suspicion of DUI and he blew 0.025, the equivalent of half a beer, then I think some leniency would be warranted, don't you?

You can get a DUI for being high and driving, so it's not just an alcohol thing.

And it's not in the coaches' or AD's best interest to say that one type or severity of DUI is more serious than another. If the police feel like it was serious enough to cite Samaji, then the coaches should feel like it's serious enough to punish him.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 8:06 am

Yeah, it's the coach's responsibility to punish the actions of a player which led up to him getting in trouble. I tend to err toward innocence until guilt is proven, but I understand that the time it can take to prove guilt in court (if it goes that far) would then make subsequent punishment less effective.

I guess all I'm saying is that there is a scenario in which Grant literally did nothing terrible. Is it a likely scenario? Probably not...

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 8:54 am

Puerco wrote: people certainly possess weed and alcohol as minors when they're in college. Perhaps I'm unique, but I don't really consider that a punishable action.

Not like he was sitting in his dorm room. He was driving a 2000 pound weapon.

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:28 am

Gemmell on ESPN. Looks like not starting is about the total extent of it for now as previously noted.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... i-citation

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:17 am

Merkin wrote:
Puerco wrote: people certainly possess weed and alcohol as minors when they're in college. Perhaps I'm unique, but I don't really consider that a punishable action.
Not like he was sitting in his dorm room. He was driving a 2000 pound weapon.

I understand that, but was it a real DUI, or was it one of the iffy kind? I haven't seen any detail reported, but since he didn't spend the night in jail, perhaps it wasn't the more serious kind?

And before anyone goes all hysteric and zero-tolerance philosophical on me, let me state my position on DUI: I firmly believe that most any normal human being can consume a can of beer and drive acceptably well. That said, you can still get done for DUI with one beer, which I believe is silly.

I have absolutely no position on smoking and driving, because whenever I've smoked, driving was the last thing I wanted to do!

Never done it, so don't understand how pot affect driving ability.

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:09 pm

It doesn't really matter what kind of DUI it was. Coach told them to be smart - aka stay out of trouble. Grant didn't. Also, if RR still runs the same rules as he did at WV (no reason to think he doesn't) then Grant is also in trouble for at least a couple of other broken team rules.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 4:51 pm

RR was on AM 1060 radio this afternoon and said SG will travel with the team and depending on how he responds this week he wasn't sure when he'd put him if at all.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 4:55 pm

azgreg wrote:RR was on AM 1060 radio this afternoon and said SG will travel with the team and depending on if the team is losing he wasn't sure when he'd put him if at all.

FIFY

prh · Post by **prh** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 6:25 pm

What are the laws in Arizona regarding DUI and minors? In Oregon I know it's "zero tolerance," so even 0.001% is DUI. I'm curious if his case is similar to the Indiana basketball player from a couple weeks ago, which nobody really seemed to care about (I think he was at 0.015 or something?)

Scummy Dick Douglas · Post by **Scummy Dick Douglas** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 8:46 pm

Puerco wrote:1. Weed
2. Minor in possession of alcohol
3. Driving while #1 and #2
4. Driving with license
5. Burnt out license plate light

Many people certainly possess weed and alcohol as minors when they're in college. Perhaps I'm unique, but I don't really consider that a punishable action. If it were, every frat and sorority would have to get booted off campus. Driving without a license? Sure it's dumb, but even I got cited for that while I was at the UA. No harm done, just pay the fine. It's a traffic violoation, not a crime. Burnt out licesnse plate light? Okay, fine. Get it fixed.

So what's left that's punishable? DUI, period. Like I said, if it's real DUI, then he needs to not travel for the game. If it's suspicion of DUI and he blew 0.025, the equivalent of half a beer, then I think some leniency would be warranted, don't you?

Jimbo? Is that you?

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