Pair of Illini in trouble...

[FCollinsBuckeye]

From USAToday.com

Two Illini starters charged with felonies after bar fight
By Jim Paul, The Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Linebacker Matt Sinclair, Illinois' leading tackler, and tackle Ryan Matha, another returning starter, were charged Monday with aggravated battery stemming from a weekend bar fight, prosecutors said.
Sinclair, 22, and Matha, 21, were accused of tackling and punching Jamaal L. Applewhite, 19, of Champaign, according to court documents. Applewhite also was charged with aggravated battery, accused of hitting Sinclair on the head with a beer bottle, according to the court papers.

The three men were arrested shortly after 1:30 a.m. Saturday when officers were called to a bar near campus, said Champaign police spokeswoman Joan Walls. She declined to release any details of the fight.

Aggravated battery is a Class 3 felony, which carries a penalty of 2-5 years in prison, according to Illinois law.

Matha and Applewhite were treated at an Urbana hospital for minor injuries before being taken to jail, Walls said. All three were released on bond Saturday, according to the Champaign County sheriff's office.

Illini coach Ron Turner declined to comment on the arrests or whether he was planning any disciplinary action, said team spokeswoman Cassie Arner.

"We can't really talk when there's legal issues at hand," Arner said. "We need to let the legal process play out."

Sinclair, a 6-3, 245-pound senior, led the Illini in tackles last season with 129 and earned honorable mention Big Ten honors.

Matha, a 6-3, 300-pound junior, started the final eight games last season after returning from a knee injury that forced him to miss five games in 2002.

Practice for the fall season starts next week, and Sinclair had been scheduled to attend Big Ten media day in Chicago this week but will not make the trip, Arner said. Running back E.B. Halsey will go in his place, she said.

 

[Bucklion]

They weren't very good anyway, so they can't afford this. Maybe Beutjer can get a couple of more years of eligibility and turn himself into a LB.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

Those wacky college kids, drinking and fighting.

I'm glad I never did such a thing.

Or maybe I am glad the internet was not around to report on every stupid thing I did.

 

[stxbuck]

I certainly engaged in my share of (non-fighting) alcoholic idiocy while at Ohio State. That said, if you cannot drink without getting violent, there is no excuse for picking up a bottle-period. Everyone on a team/given social group knows the individuals who go looking for a fight after x-beers or shots.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

STX

The article did not say who started it but since the student was charged with using a bottle as a weapon I imagine he may get the nod. Otherwise he could have claimed self defense.

You are correct, especially with football players, that there are certain groups that are spoiling for a fight. As an ex jock I could also say that jocks are targets of drunken students rage on a more frequent basis.