No, the picture above is not the way officers dressed at the ECU game, but judging by the reaction of some, you can bet they wish they were.

Well, maybe the officers assigned to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium were celebrating. It's just that they have a different way of expressing the joy of East Carolina's big 24-3 win over West Virginia. The fans wanted to, and did, rush the field and the police dealt with people (watch the lower right corner).



There were plenty of reports from fans, witnesses and those pesky ESPN cameras to suggest this was not isolated.

ECU Police Chief Scott Shelton said university officers are interviewing witnesses and analyzing photos and videotapes. The complaints are varied and include assertions that officers punched a fan and threw another to the ground. Shelton said, "Preliminary investigation indicates excessive force was used in an incident of most concern by complainants."

The police chief also says that the officers were supposed to only be visible and try to deter fans and students from running out on the field. If that didn't work, they were supposed to fall back and just try to keep it from getting out of hand. Officers from the State Highway Patrol, City of Greenville, Pitt County Sheriff's Department, the City of Kinston, and Lenoir County were also helping with security.

As for the officers that were shown beating a person on the ground. It's denials all around.

Pitt County Sheriff Mac Manning said that though his deputies were staffing the game in brown uniforms, it was not one of his men caught on tape.

"As far as what happened, or if there was excessive force used, I have no idea," Manning said. "My supervisor at the game saw the video, and what he had seen did not involve a Pitt County deputy."

Of course not. It was a different shade of brown. Or perhaps it was someone dressed as a Pitt County officer trying to make them look bad.

Some more videos after the jump.

"I gotta take a whiz test to my P.O./I know I failed 'cause I smoke major weed, bro."- Luniz

I don't know how it feels to be either Marc Verica or Scott Deke right now, wondering what the heck the guys in front of them have to do in order for them to get their shot. And it's likely you may not care, since those are currently UVA's other options at QB, following the tradition of guys like Christian Olsen, Kevin McCabe, David Rivers, etc. of holding down the fort as a backup until the next better thing comes along- Peter Lalich, a sophomore has this on lock for the near future. Provided he doesn't screw it all up. And he just might, judging not from his not-as-bad-as-it-seemed performance against USC, but from "what part of don't drink or smoke while you're on probation don't you understand?"

According to court papers, Lalich, who was recently cited for underage alcohol possession (in his bloodstream) admitted that he was on that Master P "Pass Da Green" tip while under court orders to not do that. At all. This puts Al Groh in a sticky icky icky situation, seeing as how Jameel Sewell (the guy UVA built their offense around for the next four years circa 2007) is out due to not being all that nice with the book learnin', and neither Verica nor Deke have any important in-game experience. Moreover, the decision to even start Lalich was met with enough criticism as is considering he only had a constructive summer in Hold Steady terms. Can't tell what this will mean for the probably-closer-than-you-think Richmond game this Saturday, but at the very least we should probably stop with the Pistol Pete nickname and maybe tab this beanpole Randall "Pink" Floyd- he may play ball this fall, but he ain't signing nothing. Catch him and his loser friends at the Aerosmith concert.

Just two days before a big game with Oregon State, Joe Paterno announced tonight that three Penn State football players have been suspended for this weekend's game (he didn't say why, but you can connect the dots yourself), while another has been kicked off the team for that all too familiar "undisclosed violation of team rules." I'm pretty sure this makes Penn State your early season Fulmer Cup leader, in case you're keeping track at home.

Backup DB Willie Harriott is now an ex-Lion. While no official reason was given, his departure may be related to a November arrest for DUI and speeding. No team wants to lose depth at any position, but the overall impact of Harriott's departure should be minimal.

Of far more concern, at least for this week, is the suspension of defensive linemen Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma, both key contributors to the Lions defense, as well as tight end Andrew Quarless (pictured above right). All three are significant contributors to the team, though only Evans and Koroma are starters. But how much will the Nits miss these three guys?

I was out in Boulder this spring, and for some reason I thought this would be a good picture just in case...well...something like this happened.

Colorado redshirt freshman offensive lineman Ethan Adkins was indefinitely suspended from the football team by coach Dan Hawkins after being cited for driving under the influence Monday in Boulder.

Hawkins also suspended starting guard Devin Head for one game for an undisclosed violation of team rules. It is unclear if Head's violation was connected to Adkins'. Head started at left guard in the season opening victory over Colorado State on Sunday.

Normally this wouldn't be so bad, but Colorado already lost two offensive linemen to academic issues and a torn knee ligament. Colorado shouldn't be tested this weekend against Eastern Washington even being short on offensive linemen, but a date with West Virginia looms on September 18th. As well as Florida State and Texas the following two weeks. Absolutely a great opportunity to jump into the top 25. This is what you're supposed to do in the off season, fellas. Not heading into the meat of the schedule.

Hat Tip: Wiz

Come on, say it with me: Nothing good ever happens to athletes after 2 am. We hear it all the time and it's always because something bad has happened. This time some four hours after Oklahoma had kicked the crap out of a 1-AA team, the bad things went down.

University of Oklahoma basketball player Ray Willis and football player Frank Alexander were stabbed over the weekend during a melee that involved guns, knives and tire irons, multiple sources have confirmed to The Oklahoman.

Both Willis and Alexander are expected to make full recoveries.

About 2:32 a.m. Sunday, Norman police responded to an altercation that erupted into a melee during a private party at Serenade, also known as Sooner Knights, located at 1309 SW 24th Ave. in Norman.

The two Sooners were invited guests of the private party. The attackers were apparently trying to crash the party -- one way or another.

The good news for both, is that despite being stabbed and Willis even having a collapsed lung, they only sustained minor injuries. Their judgment, however, should be questioned. Willis is a freshman and Alexander is a redshirt freshman. What were they doing at a private party at a club at that point and who thought it was a good idea to invite them?

If you fall into the camp that believes USC can do no right, this confirms your worst suspicions. Of course, by the pre-enrollment timing of the incident it appears USC will avoid being docked Fulmer Cup points. Sneaky.

The details on would-be USC linebacker Maurice Simmons:

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested Simmons and [Lamont Lee] Hall after they allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint on a Compton street.

Authorities said they found a handgun and the belongings of the alleged victim in Simmons' car.

Simmons, a Compton Dominguez High graduate, had been charged with felony robbery, assault with a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of allowing someone to bring a gun into his car. He will be sentenced Aug. 28.

Hilarious no-brainer quote of the day:

University administrators will now review Simmons' admission to USC.

Ya think!? Hopefully that involves putting a big red X over his files and declaring "there's the door." USC has had a quiet offseason other than this incident, but it wouldn't be USC without this news and "new" details in the never-ending Reggie Bush saga to put a damper on the preseason buildup.

Last season Wisconsin running back Lance Smith was not allowed to travel with the team on road trips thanks to pleading guilty to charges of battery and disorderly conduct after getting into a fight with his girlfriend. As long as he followed the rules of the of the first-offenders program he was put into afterwards, Smith was going to avoid any jail time and could continue playing for the Badgers.

Then a month ago it was announced that Bret Bielema had suspended Smith when he failed to live up to the requirements of the program, and on Monday Bielema decided he didn't want to deal with Smith's antics any longer. Which is why Smith was kicked off the team.

Coach Bret Bielema, who suspended Smith last month, announced the dismissal after the team's first practice of the season.

What Smith did to be removed from the first-offender program has not been disclosed.

Smith's case will now be sent back to court for sentencing on battery and disorderly conduct charges.

Smith rushed for 429 yards in seven games for the Badgers last season, averaging six yards per carry, and scored three touchdowns. Still, with P.J. Hill, Zach Brown, and John Clay also on the depth chart, I don't think Smith's absence will hurt the Badgers too much this season.

As for Lance, well, I hope he has a good lawyer.

Wide receiver Josh Jarboe has been relieved of his scholarship by Bob Stoops and Oklahoma after a video of him that middle-aged sportswriters invariably refer to as "violent" and "expletive-filled" showed up on the youtubes. It does indeed have some expletives, so keep it away from children and those constitutionally prone to fainting spells:



This would be the most insane player dismissal ever if Jarboe hadn't gotten expelled from his high school and charged with a felony for bringing a gun to school. Still, the Wizard of Odds notes that Bob Stoops was of one mind Thursday...

"Kick a guy off the team for what he says?" Stoops said. The whole Internet culture frustrates Stoops. "We're starting to talk about everything kids say and do," Stoops said. "Now we're in people's homes, in their private spaces."

...before he was of the opposite mind a couple days later. What happened?

Speculation is seemingly never-ending about the future of the Penn State football program.

However, for now, Joe Paterno is still in charge. And he's dropped the hammer on two defensive tackles.

Projected starter Phil Taylor and possible starter Chris Baker had already visited Paterno's palatial doghouse. Both were suspended during the spring as part of discipline Paterno handed down for off-field fights last season.

It's a move that was probably overdue. On the field, it certainly attacks the Nittany Lions' depth along the defensive front. However, at the very least, Paterno needed to send a message. Future behavior will determine if he was successful in that.

Meanwhile, it appears more trouble is at least potentially on the horizon for Penn State.

Shortly after two Penn State football players were kicked off the team, details are emerging about a recent incident at a pool party that may have involved Penn State football players, Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said.

Madeira said he was aware of a police investigation involving football players, but did not know which players were involved.

... "I was aware yesterday about an incident at a pool party -- that there was an accusation that it involved football players," Madeira said.

Ouch. Methinks this was the last thing JoePa wanted to hear about today. Sorry, dude.

No other place than in the shadow of Ohio Stadium to get handcuffed and hauled off if you're a Buckeye, right? Well done, Mr. Worthington.

The basics: Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington was nabbed at 3:13 a.m. Saturday morning, and blew between a .08 and .17 on his breath test, over Ohio's legal limit of .08. Usually that's about all the information we get out of these stories, but wait there's more!

According to the incident report from OSU police, Worthington was cited for driving his white Cadillac Escalade 41 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone. He was stopped just outside Ohio Stadium, at the intersection of Woody Hayes Drive and Cannon Drive.

Here's the Google Map of the intersection for the bored and/or obsessed. What does this mean for Ohio State? Probably very little if you read between the lines as the article speculates about his future.

If Worthington's case follows past precedence, he may have to face a hearing before a faculty and student panel. That could determine whether he faces a potential suspension from school. He will at least feel the wrath of the coaching staff during preseason practice and face a demotion on the depth chart.

The USC game is September 13th after two layups against Youngstown State and Ohio. Count on him being on the field by then at the latest as the play of the interior defensive line is the Buckeyes' only notable defensive question mark.