[Update] Re. The 3 Arrests (Expectation Of Strict Disciplinary Measures From CRN)

There have been no new details concerning the three UCLA incoming freshman - Paul Richardson, Shaquille Richardson, and Joshua Shirley - who have been "arrested on suspicion of felony theft, according to L.A. County Sheriff's Department records." (LAT).

Some notes to keep in mind again:

• The Richardsons are cousins
• This has to be especially embarrassing for Paul Richardson, Sr. who was a team-mate of Reggie Moore at UCLA and played while CRN was an assistant under Terry Donahue (and who never had any kind of run in with the law as far as we know)
• Richardsons were released on $20,000 bail while Shirley was released without a bail

Of course we are going to wait to hear more details. However, I think what CRN did with E.J. Woods (who was "charged with two counts of sexual battery and four counts of battery") could be indicative of what we can expect with regards to these three kids (emphasis added):

Woods remains an active member of the football team, but he will face discipline regardless of the outcome of the charges, according to sources. After Woods was arrested, he was disciplined by Neuheisel, sources said. A UCLA spokesman would not comment.

E.J. Woods never ended up playing a game for UCLA and ended up leaving Westwood. Similarly when Courtney Viney, Randall Carroll, Morrell Presley and Milton Knox were suspended, he didn't immediately let them back in action after the suspension was over. They were in his dog house (deservedly so) for quite sometime and Knox eventually transferred over to Fresno State.

We expect similar tough disciplinary measure for these kids "regardless of the outcome of charges". FreewayBruin03 made some sense in the comment thread yesterday:

For what it's worth, my view on student athletes charged with crimes is that they should be treated like an employee on paid administrative leave pending legal proceedings. The presumption of innocence, to me, means that they should be allowed to keep their scholarships and practice, but not be allowed anywhere near a game until they are exonerated.

I was extremely disappointed with Ben Howland when he let Draogovic play on while his legal proceedings were pending. In this case, I think throwing these three kids off the program immediately is very harsh. However, they should have to serve same kind of tangible disciplinary measures as CRN set in previous examples. In addition, the four Bruin captains - Prince, Kia, Moore, and Ayers - should be considering additional measures from a team-mate perspective to make sure they never ever let down UCLA this way again.

CRN has set really good examples on how to hand out strict disciplinary measures in response to this kind of reports and actions involving UCLA football program. As was the case with Woods and others, he took decisive actions even before the outcome of charges became clear via the legal proceedings. Expect him to handle this situation the same way again.

GO BRUINS.

UPDATE (N): From an AP wire report:

University police say three incoming UCLA football players arrested last week face felony theft charges for allegedly stealing a student's purse.

Sgt. Paul Stewart said Sunday the victim called police to the dining area of the Hendrick Hall dormitory, where she found her bag missing from a storage locker Wednesday. After an investigation, three 18-year-old freshmen enrolled in the school's summer session were taken into custody.

For the sake of Richardsons and Shirley they better have a legit explanation. GO BRUINS.