3 ucla BB Players Arrested - In China

[AlaCowboy]

These guys may just disappear into the system over there.


UCLA basketball players arrested in China a day before Trump visit: reports
Reuters Staff
2 MIN READ
(Reuters) - Three UCLA men’s basketball players were arrested in China for shoplifting on Tuesday, a day ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first official visit there, according to several media reports.

The players arrested were freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, according to USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and ESPN, all of which cited unnamed sources familiar with the incident. Ball is the younger brother of National Basketball Association rookie Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The University of California, Los Angeles, declined to confirm the arrests.

“We are aware of a situation involving UCLA student-athletes in Hangzhou, China,” UCLA Athletics said in a statement provided by spokeswoman Shana Wilson. “The university is cooperating fully with local authorities on this matter, and we have no further comment at this time.”

The three players were questioned about stealing from a Louis Vuitton store next to the hotel where the team is staying, ESPN reported.

Reports of the arrests come as Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to host Trump in Beijing on Wednesday after the U.S. president finishes his visit to Seoul.

White House officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The UCLA team arrived in Shanghai on Sunday ahead of the game on Friday, when it will play Georgia Tech in both teams’ regular-season opener, according to statements from both teams.

Three players from Georgia Tech were questioned by authorities in China on Tuesday at their hotel in Hangzhou, China, but later released by police, Georgia Tech athletics spokesman Mike Flynn said in a statement.

“During the questioning, it was determined that Georgia Tech student-athletes were not involved in the activities being investigated. They have resumed their scheduled activities,” Flynn said.

Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew Lewis

[drjensen]

They'll get a slap on the wrist that will do nothing to cure their sticky fingers!

[AlaCowboy]

They're out on bail, but they are confined to their hotel. They can't go to practice with the team and can't play in the game. It may be 30 or more days until indictments are handed down. Prosecutors have been told by the Chinese government they should not go easier on foreign visitors than on their own people. Average sentence for shoplifting is 2 years.

[mscott59]

Nov 9, 2017 8:34:03 GMT -5 AlaCowboy said:

They're out on bail, but they are confined to their hotel. They can't go to practice with the team and can't play in the game. It may be 30 or more days until indictments are handed down. Prosecutors have been told by the Chinese government they should not go easier on foreign visitors than on their own people. Average sentence for shoplifting is 2 years.

ucla better talk to potus about maybe sneaking this kids on air force one. if the story is true that these guys did take stuff w/o paying, that would be a pretty tough lesson about breaking laws away from home.

[drjensen]

We taught our children at a very young age that stealing was not only illegal but wrong. If these guys do not understand that by now, they do not deserve to be in college. Our society has turned a blind eye on the transgressions of many of our college athletes over the years and it is obvious no lesson has been learned from this. The lesson to be learned here should have been taught at home, I doubt that 2 years in a Chinese prison will be a picnic. If it would have happened in LA they would be out with a slap on the wrist, already practicing with the team, playing this weekend, and bragging about their ill gotten booty.

[AlaCowboy]

The mother of one of the accused said they just made a mistake. They shouldn't be punished for it.

[beuycek]

Nov 9, 2017 12:20:10 GMT -5 AlaCowboy said:

The mother of one of the accused said they just made a mistake. They shouldn't be punished for it.

I heard Big Baller Brand himself said "Everyone's making it a big deal. It ain't that big a deal."

Nice.

[daleko]

Nov 9, 2017 16:18:12 GMT -5 beuycek said:

Nov 9, 2017 12:20:10 GMT -5 AlaCowboy said:

The mother of one of the accused said they just made a mistake. They shouldn't be punished for it.

I heard Big Baller Brand himself said "Everyone's making it a big deal. It ain't that big a deal."

Nice.

They're lucky it wasn't in Singapore. They'd have been tied to a pole and whipped w a cane. On a public square. They don't shoplift much in Singapore.

[drjensen]

Bill Walton came unglued on the "sticky fingered freshman" from UCLA the other night. I am not a Walton fan but I was amused as he almost had a meltdown on the stupidity of these guys. I originally thought these three might get by with a slap on the wrist, but it's looking more and more like they might want to get used to rice in their diet.

[drjensen]

UCLA has suspended the three players for an indefinite amount of time. They have admitted stealing the items in China. Steve Alford and UCLA is more interested in winning than the moral fiber of these individuals and the team. How long does everyone think they will be suspended for? They should have been dismissed, not suspended, they are a black eye to America and they will have learned nothing from this.

[AlaCowboy]

Nov 15, 2017 17:07:34 GMT -5 drjensen said:

UCLA has suspended the three players for an indefinite amount of time. They have admitted stealing the items in China. Steve Alford and UCLA is more interested in winning than the moral fiber of these individuals and the team. How long does everyone think they will be suspended for? They should have been dismissed, not suspended, they are a black eye to America and they will have learned nothing from this.

If ucla assigns significant and meaningful community service, extra workouts, and strenuous probation, then the punishment is satisfactory. The "one and done" player will be watched carefully by NBA teams to be sure he doesn't bring a toxic attitude to their team.

[mscott59]

Nov 15, 2017 17:07:34 GMT -5 drjensen said:

UCLA has suspended the three players for an indefinite amount of time. They have admitted stealing the items in China. Steve Alford and UCLA is more interested in winning than the moral fiber of these individuals and the team. How long does everyone think they will be suspended for? They should have been dismissed, not suspended, they are a black eye to America and they will have learned nothing from this.

so you think their athletic career should get the death penalty because they lifted some sunglasses? that sounds as out of whack as china's 3 to 10 year prison sentence. they are teenagers who made a mistake, one that made national and international headlines that will be a part of their legacy for the rest of their lives. they're losing playing time, practice time, and the privilege of being with their teammates. they'll have other penalties as well, and a huge life lesson which you hope will stick.

[AlaCowboy]

Nov 15, 2017 21:39:00 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Nov 15, 2017 17:07:34 GMT -5 drjensen said:

UCLA has suspended the three players for an indefinite amount of time. They have admitted stealing the items in China. Steve Alford and UCLA is more interested in winning than the moral fiber of these individuals and the team. How long does everyone think they will be suspended for? They should have been dismissed, not suspended, they are a black eye to America and they will have learned nothing from this.

so you think their athletic career should get the death penalty because they lifted some sunglasses? that sounds as out of whack as china's 3 to 10 year prison sentence. they are teenagers who made a mistake, one that made national and international headlines that will be a part of their legacy for the rest of their lives. they're losing playing time, practice time, and the privilege of being with their teammates. they'll have other penalties as well, and a huge life lesson which you hope will stick.

They were more than just sunglasses. Those cost hundreds of dollars a pair. we've had people trying to sneakily pry open the door of our Costa Del Mar sunglass case. Cheapest pair is $199. Most are $249.

[mscott59]

Nov 15, 2017 22:44:18 GMT -5 AlaCowboy said:

Nov 15, 2017 21:39:00 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

so you think their athletic career should get the death penalty because they lifted some sunglasses? that sounds as out of whack as china's 3 to 10 year prison sentence. they are teenagers who made a mistake, one that made national and international headlines that will be a part of their legacy for the rest of their lives. they're losing playing time, practice time, and the privilege of being with their teammates. they'll have other penalties as well, and a huge life lesson which you hope will stick.

They were more than just sunglasses. Those cost hundreds of dollars a pair. we've had people trying to sneakily pry open the door of our Costa Del Mar sunglass case. Cheapest pair is $199. Most are $249.

cowboy i know they were designer-wear. what they did was stupid, disrespectful anywhere, but especially so when in a foreign land, and how it hurts the reputation of americans abroad. that said, being kicked out of school would not be a punishment which fits the crime.

[daleko]

Nov 16, 2017 8:36:04 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Nov 15, 2017 22:44:18 GMT -5 AlaCowboy said:

They were more than just sunglasses. Those cost hundreds of dollars a pair. we've had people trying to sneakily pry open the door of our Costa Del Mar sunglass case. Cheapest pair is $199. Most are $249.

cowboy i know they were designer-wear. what they did was stupid, disrespectful anywhere, but especially so when in a foreign land, and how it hurts the reputation of americans abroad. that said, being kicked out of school would not be a punishment which fits the crime.

Not that I'm suggesting that getting suspended a week, month or for the season, ie a paid vacation of sorts, is an appropriate level but what kind of theft would suggest the harsher penalty of expulsion? Certainly at least one of these young men didn't come from a ghetto environment. But his father's casual attitude re the issue seems to indicate a lack of an appropriate concern.

In many schools felony theft is grounds for expulsion. Is grounds for scholarship loss. Should it make a difference what sport the athlete plays? Or the revenue that sport contributes?

Does credit card fraud allow disposal of the individual from the U? Is there a dollar figure you would agree to? How about illegally selling T-Shirts (ie Catholics V Convicts)? Or any illegal business?

They got lucky that the theft happened in China and not in Singapore, tied to a pole in a public square and whipped, or the Kingdom as they'd be thumbless today.