Shocking, Coach Dixon indicates the team will wait and see for a little with Levance Fields and guess what? No news today.
Even if he does act or has already acted, not all disciplinary action meted out to Pitt student-athletes is made public.
Dixon refused to comment on his star player for the second day in a row, and his other players were instructed not to speak with reporters after the workout.
Regardless of what action the athletic department takes, Fields could be subject to punishment by the university’s student affairs judicial system. According to the university’s Web site, “in some cases, off-campus conduct may also be subject to disciplinary action by the university.”
It was not clear yesterday if the university has disciplined Fields. University spokeman John Fedele said, “At this point, I cannot comment on internal punishments, if there are any.”
While the present players aren’t supposed to say anything, a former player will defend his old teammates and team.
“I don’t think there’s a character issue at all at Pittsburgh,” Gray said. “When we would have recruits come in, that would always be the first thing Coach Dixon talks about. It’s not always about how good of a basketball player they are. It’s also what kind of a person they are.”
Ron Cook channels his inner-Jay Mariotti and calls for a swift suspension — if not outright booting from the team.
But Dixon’s tough-talk statement about the Fields arrest only will mean something if he backs it up, sooner rather than later. Fields is facing serious charges. He should be suspended from the team indefinitely while the legal process starts to take its course, and Dixon has a chance to conduct his own investigation.
Some will argue that isn’t fair to Fields, that he hasn’t been found guilty of anything yet. That’s true. But no one is saying he should be locked up in prison without due process or that his rights as an American citizen be disregarded. He just shouldn’t be allowed to be a part of the Pitt team with all of this hanging over him.
Apparently the part about the “letting the judicial process run its course” from Dixon never registered with Cook.
Allright, devil’s advocate since Cook tried to couch the whole thing as vital for the “integrity” and risking “permanent damage” to the Pitt program. Isn’t it the biggest key to a basketball or any college sport, recruiting and bringing in talent? Wouldn’t it be bad for Pitt’s program to simply boot or suspend players knee-jerk, without giving any support or backing to them? Doesn’t it make the whole recruiting pitch of being part of a family, team, whatever a completely hollow, one-way thing. Screw-up and you are cut loose.
Final thing. Anyone who tries to use this as some sort of statement on Dixon not having control of the team, recruiting thugs, or any other accusation. Well, they better not be the same people who dream of John Calipari being hired. Last I checked, Joey Dorsey hasn’t been nor going to be kicked off the team anytime soon.
