He was arrested for suspicion of DUI and driving with a suspended license. But after two different blood tests came back showing he was under the legal limit of .08, it looks like Lawrence is on his way to being reinstated to the team.
And according to Zagsblog, it could be as soon as Saturday's game against LIU. Lawrence, who was in street clothes on the bench for the Pirate's first two games, was in warm-ups during Friday night's win over Cornell in Ithaca, NY.
Keon Lawrence could be reinstated by Friday.(photo credit: Zagsblog)
I had two reactions to the news of Lawrence's reinstatement. On the surface, this is a good thing. Everyone deserves a second, and sometimes even a third, chance, especially when you are dealing with a kid who had as difficult of an upbringing as Lawrence did. At the same time, let us keep in mind that this is not a situation where Lawrence was arrested for failing to pay parking tickets or for going over the speed limit.
Lawrence was arrested because he was driving with a suspended license, presumably after drinking if he received BAC tests, at 3am on a Monday morning with his friend in the car, and all of this just four days before the Pirate's first game of the year.
And all he is going to get is three games?
The fact that he was out, possibly drinking, at 3am on a Monday is one thing.
The bigger issue is that he was driving on a suspended license and almost killed someone. This may not be common knowledge (sarcasm alert), but one of the main reasons a person gets their license suspended is that they are considered an unsafe driver. Even if Lawrence wasn't drinking, isn't it possible that his license was suspended because the state believed that he was a poor enough driver to soberly cause a head-on wreck as a result of going to wrong direction on he Garden State Parkway (if you have never driven on the GSP, getting on in the wrong direction is a tough thing to do).
What if someone had died in this accident, either the other driver or Lawrence's passenger? Do you think that Lawrence would be back on the court in three games? Wouldn't he be facing charges of manslaughter? If Lawrence shot someone by accident, but that person happened to survive, is he back on the court in three games?
Regardless, getting Lawrence back and into game shape will be huge for the Pirates. They brought back their entire team from last season, and added fellow transfers Herb Pope, Jamel Jackson, and Jeff Robinson, who gets eligible December 19th. This is a team that, if they can keep it together, has a chance to reach the big dance. Their win at Cornell should prove it.
But what kind of message are you sending by reinstating Lawrence after three games? Now, there may be a lot more to this story that has not come out yet, but on to the outside observer, it looks like Bobby Gonzalez and the Seton Hall administration don't care all that much about the incident.
Rob,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you cannot compare a car accident to shooting somebody. They are two completely different situations. He cannot be held criminally responsible because he did nothing wrong by legislature (so no manslaughter). He will certainly have some civil court things to attend to and will have to answer to driving with a suspended license (a misdemeanor). As far as Bobby and the University are concerned, they are not baby sitters and you cannot blame this terrible judgement on anybody but Keon. The school wants and needs him back and they can have him back so they are taking advantage of that. It looks bad on the outside b/c the media is making it look bad..i am a student at SHU and on campus there is nothing but support for Keon. He is aware he did something wrong and it seems to have woken him up. Look for big things this season. Go Pirates!
What if, what if, what if....
ReplyDeleteIf my Aunt had big wheels, she'd be a bus.
Yu wrote"This may not be common knowledge (sarcasm alert), but one of the main reasons a person gets their license suspended is that they are considered an unsafe driver. "
ReplyDeleteAnother reason is that you don't show up in court for a parking ticket and the judge in Missouri issues a bench warrant.
Ballin', you have issues. Stop preaching and get a life dude.
well, your prediction did not come to be true...keon lawrence is still on the bench...not even in warm-ups. Bobby G. has decided that the kid needs some extra time away as punishment. This decision is in part to all the media saying to keep keon away...I hope you are happy now, but it seems no matter what Bobby does, people hate him. You know what? the guy can flat out coach. he brings in talent and makes SHU basketball something to talk about on the court. Melvyn Oliver is also not playing b/c of academic issues...this was purely Gonzo's choice and i think he is indeed trying to better the lives of these kids instead of trying to assemble a team of bandits, as i recall one media outlet saying. Judge the school, judge the coach, i don't care...but you should respect both because it is a great institution and Bobby G is a fantastic coach.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should figure outwhy keon didnt have a valid lisence before you assume it was because of bad driving. Yeah your right he made a bad decission to drive period, but to spend him for too long is just ludicris. The reason he was suspended was because the stupid ass cops are idiots and apparently dont know what a drunk driver looks like considering he was under the legal limit. Let Coach alone. The man can coach basketball and knows what he is doing. Bring Keon back and forget the media, who cares what these idiots think. I am a student at SHU as well and we all want keon back on the floor where he belongs. Once we get Keon back and Jeff Robinson is eligible Seton Hall will have one of the deepest teams in the county. Cant wait, Lets Go Pirates!!
ReplyDelete