Jamar Smith charged with felony DUI and failure to report accident

[Soxbadger]

I dont think what Ray lewis did is comparable.

 

So far no one has told me of an "ACT" that Chester did, as opposed to an "ommission".

 

The United States never places a duty on a person to help some one else. There are no good sumaritan requirements, nothing.

 

So why should Chester, just because he is "teammates" have to do something that would not be required of any other person in the United States.

 

And why should his failure to do something, result in any sort of suspension?

 

Almost everyones first instinct is to protect yourself. We do not know what Chester was thinking, we do not know what Smith told him.

 

All we know is that he saw a car with some one smashed up in it, and did not call 911.

 

That makes Chester a bad person, not a criminal, not some one who broke a team rule or univeristy policy.

 

And you say:

 

"The worst thing Carlwell did"

 

No the worst thing he did was let Jamar Smith drive and then not call the police on him. Isnt that basically "covering up" some one breaking the law.

 

Carlwell was in a position to stop this whole thing, he made the choice not to. Just like CHester was in a position to get help faster, and he chose not to.

 

I dont see why choice a is necessarily better than choice b.

 

Which is why I feel this whole: "Chester should be kicked out of the unviersity" is perplexing.

[illinilaw08]

Didn't see this anywhere yet. Jamar pleading not guilty. However, I doubt there is anyway this case ever makes its way to trial.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2773947

[IlliniKrush]

Didn't see this anywhere yet. Jamar pleading not guilty. However, I doubt there is anyway this case ever makes its way to trial.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2773947

I highly doubt it as well.

[thedoctor]

Didn't see this anywhere yet. Jamar pleading not guilty. However, I doubt there is anyway this case ever makes its way to trial.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2773947

 

i sure hope not. the last thing i need to see right now is a f***ing trial.

[MHizzle85]

ok, so what Chester did wasnt legally "wrong" but to leave your teammate/friend is just plain despicable. This just shows what kind of person he is...

[thedoctor]

ok, so what Chester did wasnt legally "wrong" but to leave your teammate/friend is just plain despicable. This just shows what kind of person he is...

 

i'd disagree with that.

 

first off, we don't know what chester did or didn't do yet. this is mostly speculation.

 

besides, i don't think anyone deserves to have the entirety of their character judged by one incident. that's just silly.

[MHizzle85]

i'd disagree with that.

 

first off, we don't know what chester did or didn't do yet. this is mostly speculation.

 

besides, i don't think anyone deserves to have the entirety of their character judged by one incident. that's just silly.

ok, true...after reading my quote i may have sounded extreme. IF we find out that the speculation is true, then maybe some of what i said is true. But you're right to judge a man from one incident is harsh.

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

On the fact that you can get into bars when you are 19, that has nothing to do with the university, it's the city. Hell, DeKalb is the only college town I know of where you have to be 21 to get into bars.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Lawrence is 21, except for like 1 place...that place, god i miss it.... haha

[Soxbadger]

Madison you have to be 21 to enter a bar at night, unless you are accompanied by your legal gaurdian.

 

I dont really know of any college campus where you dont have to be 21 to get into a bar. I always thought that was only an Illinois thing, because they use it as one of their recruiting tools. (Not talking about athletes, talking about when they are trying to get students.)

 

On the Chester thing, we also dont know what Jamar Smith said to him.

 

For all we know he told Chester:

 

Carlwell was drunk as hell smashed up the car and told me he wanted to sleep it off in the passanger seat. Lets go out and make sure that he is breathing, but I dont want to call the police and get him in trouble.

 

Chester isnt a dr, and some one passed out in a car without apparent injuries may not look that injured. In retrospect its easy to say "oh carlwell was seriously injured", but from personal experience I know people who have gotten in worse wrecks and tried to keep the police out of it because the injuries were only minor.

[Rowand44]

SIU is 19 as well.

[Dick Allen]

Madison you have to be 21 to enter a bar at night, unless you are accompanied by your legal gaurdian.

 

I dont really know of any college campus where you dont have to be 21 to get into a bar. I always thought that was only an Illinois thing, because they use it as one of their recruiting tools. (Not talking about athletes, talking about when they are trying to get students.)

 

On the Chester thing, we also dont know what Jamar Smith said to him.

 

For all we know he told Chester:

 

Carlwell was drunk as hell smashed up the car and told me he wanted to sleep it off in the passanger seat. Lets go out and make sure that he is breathing, but I dont want to call the police and get him in trouble.

 

Chester isnt a dr, and some one passed out in a car without apparent injuries may not look that injured. In retrospect its easy to say "oh carlwell was seriously injured", but from personal experience I know people who have gotten in worse wrecks and tried to keep the police out of it because the injuries were only minor.

If he looked at the state of the car and fell for the story you mentioned above, the guy really has no business being in college, let alone one with a great academic reputation.

 

Two things:

1) Has there been any confirmation of Couch's report that Chester was the person that went out to the car with Jamar? Logically it makes sense that it was Chester since he and Jamar live together, but Couch isn't exactly an Illini beat writer, and there isn't anything clear from the State's Attorney's report that this was Chester. I'm just curious.

 

2) I agree fully with Soxbadger on Chester. Assuming he is the second person with Jamar at the car, what he did was not illegal. You have no duty to call 911 when someone is hurt and I guarantee Chester would have a lawyer immediately if he lost his scholarship for doing something that, while morally reprehensible, is not illegal in the eyes of the law. I don't know what you can do to him other than a long lecture, maybe a game or two suspension for "not taking care of business" but removing him from the team would not be the correct move, in my opinion.

As a diclaimer, I am in no way advocating what Frazier allegedely did, but he should not be dismissed for it.

Scholarships are year to year things. Hiring a lawyer would be useless. They could yank it for any reason. If the Sun-Times report is accurate, and he saw a teammate in a car either hurt very very badly or even dead, and he did nothing about it, would you really want this guy in your program? I'm sure he was scared, and probably beyond freaked out, but you have to at least call for help.

[IlliniKrush]

Madison you have to be 21 to enter a bar at night, unless you are accompanied by your legal gaurdian.

 

I dont really know of any college campus where you dont have to be 21 to get into a bar. I always thought that was only an Illinois thing, because they use it as one of their recruiting tools. (Not talking about athletes, talking about when they are trying to get students.)

 

On the Chester thing, we also dont know what Jamar Smith said to him.

 

For all we know he told Chester:

 

Carlwell was drunk as hell smashed up the car and told me he wanted to sleep it off in the passanger seat. Lets go out and make sure that he is breathing, but I dont want to call the police and get him in trouble.

 

Chester isnt a dr, and some one passed out in a car without apparent injuries may not look that injured. In retrospect its easy to say "oh carlwell was seriously injured", but from personal experience I know people who have gotten in worse wrecks and tried to keep the police out of it because the injuries were only minor.

Seriously? Cmon, that's the most ridiculous line of story i've ever heard.

 

If Jamar thought he was dead, he certainly went inside and told Chester and whoever else was there that he thought he was dead. Then he probly asked him to come out and check it out, which apparently Chester did to some degree, enough to see the car was absolutely smashed up. At this point is when Chester should have called the cops. He's a terrible teammate for not doing so. If he gets kicked off the team so be it at this point, I don't see why Bruce would want him as part of his basketball family after he left a brother for dead. And perhaps they didn't call the cops because they were indeed convinced he was dead and were trying to figure out a way to get rid of the body or create a real good cover up story to make it look like an accident.

 

Bruce should dismiss Jamar from the team sooner than later.

[Flash Tizzle]

Boers and Berstein were absolutely hysterical this afternoon. Illinois apologists just need to quit calling in and embarrassing themselves.

 

It's funny listening to people voice concern for Carlwell, while simultaneously attempting to divert attention off the incident and its implication towards future recruiting classes.

[RockRaines]

Madison you have to be 21 to enter a bar at night, unless you are accompanied by your legal gaurdian.

 

I dont really know of any college campus where you dont have to be 21 to get into a bar. I always thought that was only an Illinois thing, because they use it as one of their recruiting tools. (Not talking about athletes, talking about when they are trying to get students.)

In Oxford we had a majority of bars that you had to only be 18 to enter, 21 to drink. They gave you a ridiculous X on your hand if you were underage, but if you applied chapstick pre-bar you could wipe it off.

 

Also in Oxford you can legally drink under 21 if your parents are within an arms reach.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Even though weber should not be blamed specifically for what occurred, even weber apologists cannot possibly deny that this reflects very poorly on him. As someone mentioned before, he is basically the "manager" of the basketball program, and this not being the first time a problem involving broken laws occurs under him, it reflects poorly on the the illinois basketball program and the head of the program, weber. He's gonna have to take some heat for it.

[CanOfCorn]

What if Jamar is found innocent? Does that change anyone's mind?

 

And before you go a-flamin' and say, "How the hell can that happen?!?!" I've got two words for you...O-J.

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(illinilaw08 @ Feb 21, 2007 -> 03:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didn't see this anywhere yet. Jamar pleading not guilty. However, I doubt there is anyway this case ever makes its way to trial.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2773947

Why is that? He's facing a felony.

[fathom]

Is it true that Smith is on the bench tonight during their game? That's absolutely pathetic if true.

[Balta1701]

Why is that? He's facing a felony.

Because it sure seems like he has very little possible chance of being found not guilty, which will strongly motivate his side to plea bargain this out and make it go away.

[fathom]

Because it sure seems like he has very little possible chance of being found not guilty, which will strongly motivate his side to plea bargain this out and make it go away.

 

As others have mentioned, it's not likely Jamar with get any preferential treatment in this case. A lot of people in the Champaign area were furious with the way the Head, McBride, Spears robbery case was handled.

[MHizzle85]

What if Jamar is found innocent? Does that change anyone's mind?

 

And before you go a-flamin' and say, "How the hell can that happen?!?!" I've got two words for you...O-J.

Got one word for ya...Celebrity, I doubt Jamar has the lawyers + money to get out of this without any type of punishment.

[whitesoxfan101]

First of all, yes Jamar was on the bench. Now I know he was next to Carlwell, and Carlwell is being forgiving here....but when I saw Jamar, that was the lowest I've ever felt as an Illini fan. Ever, by far. Worse than 1-10 football seasons, worse than 33-2 losses, worse than 11th place in the Big 10 in basketball, worse than any recruiting loss.

 

Jamar Smith is under 2 felony counts of which both have evidence so servere that he'll have to take a plea bargain to avoid jail time probably. He left his teammate for dead, drove drunk, didn't call 911, might have been stoned, left the scene of an accident, hid for 2 hours, and HE'S ON THE BENCH?!?!

 

Bruce Weber has lost all respect from me, both as a coach and even as a person. Tonight proves that no player can ever take a punishment or comment of his seriously again (as if they ever did) and I'm officially against Bruce as long as he is here, record and recruiting be damned. He is absolute slime to let that kid be on the bench, basically say he's not suspended, and ignore the facts of the case.

 

My guess after this? Jamar takes a plea, gets probation, redshirts next year, and plays 2 more years for this "class" coach. Bruce just threw himself into the same class of scum as Steve Alford tonight, and I'm amazed I just said that. Oh, and emotionally and mentally troubled MY ASS, they showed him smiling and laughing during the game. Gellin' like a felon.

Edited February 22, 2007 by whitesoxfan101

[IlliniKrush]

I was thoroughly disappointed to see him on the bench. Actually when they showed him i had to really concentrate to make sure that was him, as i just couldn't see it happening. And then every time i saw him he was laughing and having a good time.

 

I'd like to hear exactly why he was on the bench. IMO that just wasn't right at all, i have no idea what the hell that was.

[MHizzle85]

First of all, yes Jamar was on the bench. Now I know he was next to Carlwell, and Carlwell is being forgiving here....but when I saw Jamar, that was the lowest I've ever felt as an Illini fan. Ever, by far. Worse than 1-10 football seasons, worse than 33-2 losses, worse than 11th place in the Big 10 in basketball, worse than any recruiting loss.

 

Jamar Smith is under 2 felony counts of which both have evidence so servere that he'll have to take a plea bargain to avoid jail time probably. He left his teammate for dead, drove drunk, didn't call 911, might have been stoned, left the scene of an accident, hid for 2 hours, and HE'S ON THE BENCH?!?!

 

Bruce Weber has lost all respect from me, both as a coach and even as a person. Tonight proves that no player can ever take a punishment or comment of his seriously again (as if they ever did) and I'm officially against Bruce as long as he is here, record and recruiting be damned. He is absolute slime to let that kid be on the bench, basically say he's not suspended, and ignore the facts of the case.

 

My guess after this? Jamar takes a plea, gets probation, redshirts next year, and plays 2 more years for this "class" coach. Bruce just threw himself into the same class of scum as Steve Alford tonight, and I'm amazed I just said that. Oh, and emotionally and mentally troubled MY ASS, they showed him smiling and laughing during the game. Gellin' like a felon.

Please refresh my memory, why we putting Alford in the scum list?