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With suspensions and Devin Davis' accident, it's easy to argue that Indiana basketball just went through the toughest 72 hours the program has ever experienced. Still, the twitter-sphere has been filled with questions and misinformation. Let's take a step back and look at exactly what's transpired over the last three days.
What We Know
Stan Robinson and Troy Williams will be suspended for 4 games. As Jeff Goodman reported first yesterday and we were able to confirm with an independent source close to the program, Stan Robinson and Troy Williams will be suspended for failed drug tests. Crean confirmed that the players will be suspended on his radio show last night, but did not give any specific reasoning other than poor decision-making. We have no information on what drug/drugs these tests were for, how many tests were failed, or any other information of that nature. Both players will return for the SMU game.
Emmitt Holt will be suspended for 4 games. Tom Crean announced last night on his show that Holt would be suspended, citing his decision to drink underage and get behind the wheel of a vehicle. He'll also return for the SMU game.
Holt was not charged with OWI. Many fans and some other media members have mentioned a "second DUI" charge in the program. While a technicality to many, Holt was not charged with OWI -- the formal name for driving drunk in Indiana. Holt was simply given a citation for his .025 BAC -- equivalent to that of a speeding ticket -- stemming from his arrest for illegal consumption. This might not matter to many -- including Tom Crean -- but it's an important point from a legal standpoint as the program moves forward. It's worth noting, however, that Holt's .025 came from a blood test per the police report. In these situations, it usually gives the party in question an extra 45-90 minutes to "sober up" before the draw is taken.
Thus, Holt was ruled to have no fault in the accident by Bloomington Police. As we mentioned with the release of the police report yesterday, Holt was not at fault and the diagram indicates that Davis "jumped" in front of the oncoming car in an attempt of some sort of joke, per the H-T's interview with a passenger in Holt's vehicle. Illegal consumption alone is not enough to prove accident causation.
Devin Davis, reportedly, has a fractured skull and was on a respirator for a period of time. There's been no confirmation of his injuries from the family, Bloomington Hospital, or anyone with the Indiana Basketball staff. But this report came out yesterday afternoon:
UPDATE: Devin Davis suffered fractured skull in accident. Being monitored for swelling, in and out of sleep according to sources. #iubb
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) November 3, 2014
Again, we have not confirmed this report -- nor have we seen any other IU media outlets do so. Take that for what it's worth.
Former players are not pleased. Dan Dakich put the world on notice yesterday from 12-3 on ESPN 1070 The Fan, reading texts and other messages he'd received from former Indiana players from eras gone by. More recent Hoosiers echoed that sentiment last night:
Playing at IU is a privilege! The culture was built on hard work, accountability & understanding what it means to wear INDIANA on the front!
— Jordan Hulls (@JordanHulls1) November 4, 2014
As an IUBB player you're held to a higher standard. You can't be a normal college kid but you get the privilege of wearing the candy stripes
— Cody Zeller (@CodyZeller) November 4, 2014
And now this ... Just wish these guys understood what it ACTUALLY took to get the #iubb name back where it was supposed to be
— Derek Elston (@Dsol32) November 4, 2014
Yes your young and make mistakes that's apart of life,but u live in a fish bowl as a hooper at IU,can't continually as a team get in trouble
— Verdell Jones (@Vj3_217) November 4, 2014
And some just pled the fifth.
I'm sitting this one out. Thanks for asking though.
— Jarrad Odle (@JarradOdle) November 3, 2014
The Tom Crean Call-In Show was a trash-fire, and people want Tom Crean fired. Our friend Gregg Doyel is one of those people. IU Basketball Twitter has echoed that consensus, to a degree. Fisch and Tom opened it up for calls last night. It didn't go well. Read our recap of the show here.
Fred Glass is not one of those people. Glass told the H-T that Crean was "part of the solution, not the problem" and that the tweets from former players seen above really "hit home with him." Even if Glass wanted to act, he'd likely still have his hands tied by Crean's $7.5 million dollar buyout for this season. Dakich floated the idea of termination for cause yesterday, but that's an idea we effectively debunked yesterday. It's extremely rare for college coaches to be fired for cause -- Indiana still had to buyout Sampson -- and these circumstances wouldn't be enough to argue that Crean had breached his contract duties.
Still, all has been quiet from the President's office. President Michael McRobbie has more often than not come out with a statement when there's been a serious controversy, concern, or tragedy on Indiana's campus. One might think the involvement of such a high-profile student-athlete in such an accident -- combined with the other developments which could be deemed relating to overall student welfare -- would elicit some sort of prepared statement. Still, there's been nothing on that front regarding McRobbie's support for Crean or the athletes as they attempt to move forward. We're not saying this is something you should read into, but it's at least worth noting.
Lastly, the Hoosiers now have a huge hole at the 4 spot on the court. This is trivial and unimportant given the gravity of the last 72 hours, but an incredibly thin front line just got even thinner. Davis was expected to be the fill-all, stop-gap guy that could come in and play the undersized front-court role that this roster needed. Now, it's unreasonable to even discuss when he may return to the basketball floor. While Williams will just miss the first four games, it will leave the Hoosiers without what many expected to be their first two options at the 4 for the early part of the season.