Isiah Thomas to coach again

[Braves4Life]

while Stephenson didn't qualify & is headed to prep school...

Isiah Thomas at FIU appears to have landed a very HIGH LEVEL recruit...
and might also be on the verge of a Top-10 recruit!
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9...ecruit-for-FIU

The comments at the end of that article are priceless

[cpacmel]

I read where Stephenson claimed all along he was innocent and still does...
but that he plead guilty to a lesser charge just to avoid trial, possible jail time, and the time commitment of carrying the case forward, as he wants to play college ball then pro ball...

can we have a comment by the lawyers who stated (as in the Daniel Ruffin case) emphatically that nobody would ever, ever do this....
nobody would ever plead guilty unless they KNEW and were admitting they WERE guilty!

Here are numerous reports where Lance and his attorneys claim he is fully innocent, but he did plead guilty as shortcut to getting this behind him.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/05/15/lances-attorney-says-hes-innocent-fiu-out-of-the-mix/

http://ballhype.com/story/lance_s_attorney_says_he_s_innocent_fiu_out/

http://ballhype.com/story/the_latest_on_lance_stephenson/

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hi...ping_case.html

Do you have any links where he says he was innocent after he plead guilty?

It is very common for people to claim they are innocent before trials. They use it for leverage in plea deals.

Earlier you said this of Stephenson:

Top Recruit Stephenson Pleads Guilty
and becomes a sexual offender just to stay out of court and risk going to jail

Isn't that a little rough? The guy plead guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

[tornado]

why is Stephenson obligated to repeat his statements after the case to satisfy you??
He has said nothing anywhere to nullify what he had said eariler.
I suppose you are aware, that many plea deals do include terms of what can be said afterward....thus he may now be prohibited from speaking or be cautioned from doing so by his attorney.

In fact it appears to me that's exactly what's going on here, as he has intentionally avoided any statements whatsoever to the press or to anyone since the conditional discharge of the case...thus he is standing by his most current statement.


it is rough, but it is what's reported....that he chose to plead guilty to the lesser offense just to avoid jail time and the impact it would have on his playing career...
if you think those reports are harsh....

http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/07/11/stephenson-pleads-to-groping-charge/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/07/10/2009-07-10_new_york_states_top_high_school_basketball_player_.html

[cpacmel]

I read both links. I still don't see where he says he is not guilty. All I read were things like:

"Mr. Stephenson is looking forward to transitioning to college life and is pleased to put this matter behind him," his lawyer told The News after the slam dunk deal in Brooklyn Criminal Court.

Just because he wants to put the matter behind him, IMO, does not prove he was not guilty.

[tornado]

it is up to the court to prove...
but everyone else is free to draw conclusions and form opinions
do you have some persistent problem with allowing others to form opinions, as you seem to stalk every post I make on this board in order to even find typos and object to them....

in fact, just do a search of your own posts, you have as many here on BradleyFans as you do on the ISU board, and yet every one here is some kind of swipe at a post or thread of mine - EVERY single one!
...do I really have that kind of power over people that they are so obsessed they stalk me trying to find something to put chinks in my facade?

[cpacmel]

why is Stephenson obligated to repeat his statements after the case to satisfy you??

I was just going on what you said above.

I read where Stephenson claimed all along he was innocent and still does...

All I asked was if you had a link to where he said he was still innocent.

He has said nothing anywhere to nullify what he had said eariler.

I disagree with this. The moment he plead guilty that most certainly nuffilies any claim of Innocence he might have said in the months leading up to his trial.

I find this interesting as well. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hi...ce.html?page=2

Stephenson's attorney, Alberto Ebanks, has claimed his client's innocence throughout. The case could end with a dismissal or with both sides reaching a plea bargain. If convicted, Stephenson could face up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. "He wants his name to be cleared," Stephenson Sr. says, "and he wants to be recognized as a good person on and off the court."

If he really wanted to clear his name, he wouldn't have plead guilty, even to a lesser charge.

I certainly don't see him as a bad person though.

[cpacmel]

in fact, just do a search of your own posts, you have as many here on BradleyFans as you do on the ISU board, and yet every one here is some kind of swipe at a post or thread of mine - EVERY single one!
...do I really have that kind of power over people that they are so obsessed they stalk me trying to find something to put chinks in my facade?

The post counts at Redbirdfan got reset. I had over 10K posts over there. I know I am a geek.

It's all in good fun Tornado. Someone has to keep you honest and factually correct. I have never corrected a typo of yours or anyone else's. I would want someone to correct me if I was talking about Tyrone Appleton and was giving the bio of Mario Little though.

But let's not make these posts about the posters and let's stay on topic. Sound good?

[tornado]

that's the obvious point on the entire last page of this discussion....so let me repeat so you can catch it this time...
that even sometimes people who believe and say they are innocent, still make a deal and plead guilty for various reasons
(I won't hide that I am doing this in part to counter silly claims that Ruffin must be guilty because that's how he plead...)
.....not the least of which is to get the ordeal behind them (as Stephenson's atty says) and to avoid the trial; and the chance of an unfavorable outcome in front of a jury.
If it were a perfect world and perfect system, then he'd have gone to trial...but it is NOT, and he knew he had chance of being found guilty even if he IS innocent...he has said that many times, so he agreed to a deal.
BTW--- almost everyone who pleads to any charge, actually does want "his name to be cleared"...is that not obvious, but sometimes you take the best deal you see available at the time.

and thanks for not making a lifetime endeavor of a typo..as some certain do...

[cpacmel]

Fair enough.