Shirley (Disciplined By Neuheisel) Takes His Ball & Runs To Washington
by Achilles on Jul 22, 2010 4:44 PM PDT
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PrintJosh Shirley, who was dismissed from the UCLA football team and denied admission to UCLA for the fall quarter for his alleged involvement in an on campus theft, has decided to take his ball, go home, and play for the University of Washington. This is according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
What had been rumored for a few weeks became official today as the Huskies have announced that linebacker/defensive end Josh Shirley (pictured right in a photo courtesy of the Riverside Press-Enterprise) will sign a financial aid agreement and join the team next month. Here is the official release from the school.
Shirley, along with Shaquille and Paul Richardson, was given the option by UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel to attend a community college for a semester to get his act together and prove he was worthy of wearing the Blue and Gold before requesting reinstatement to UCLA.
This is how Pete Carroll protege and Washington coach Steve Sarkisian (rather predictably) spun the story:
"We are very aware of the circumstances surrounding Josh," said Sarkisian in a statement. "We have done our due diligence and truly feel that this is not indicative of his true character or the way that he was raised. We are excited about the opportunity Josh has to excel on the football field, in the classroom and in his personal life in our environment, around our people at the University of Washington."
It's obviously ironic that Husky fans who have been castigating Rick Neuheisel for his supposed leniency as a head coach when he was at Washington now have to accept the fact that their new coach takes players Rick Neuheisel has dismissed for inappropriate conduct.
(HT to LongTimeBru whose fan shot on the same subject went up while I was composing this fan post.)
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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Much better post than mine "A".
Just wanted to get it out there.
On the surface, this one really bugs me. Deep down I know it’s the best thing. I was a big fan if Shirley coming in and was really looking forward to him getting some action. Now?
I'll tell you a secret ...
unless I’m posting a photo or a quote, I’m never sure if something is a fan post or a fan shot. I’m wordy, so I always go with the post. All is good.
This bugs me, too. In all likelihood, Shirley is a good kid who got a little drunk on the freedom of being away from home and he screwed up. This is a drag. Even if you feel RN did what RN had to do, this is a drag.
I'll repeat what I said in another post
When CRN made the decision to pull the schollies, he did so knowing that them going to another school was an option. He did so knowing that charges may not be filed. He did so knowing that three talented young men might suit up for a conference or cross-town rival. He did so for a reason.
We Bruins consider each other family. The three players apparently stole some items that may not be very valuable, but they stole from family, nonetheless. I would love these three players to earn their way back to campus, but I do not expect them to do so. Why sit out when you can play elsewhere? The reason, as we all know, is that there is something special about being a Bruin. If these guys want it bad enough, they can become Bruins, but we should not fret over losing them should they choose otherwise. They clearly don’t yet know how special this family is, but they still have the opportunity find out.
Obviously, Shirley does not want to be a Bruin. There are plenty of others that do, and I trust CRN will find the best of them.
by AllHailMightyBruins on Jul 22, 2010 4:04 PM PDT reply actions 7 recs
HERE HERE!!!!
"Success is never final, Failure is never fatal. It's Courage that count's"
John Wooden.....
I like this
I don’t know if the harsh (but justified) punishment has anything to do with what is going on across town, but it’s good to see that we are still light years ahead of $C when it comes to character.
Shirley's Guilt-Ridden Tweet
(also posted in another thread)
Considering that news of the arrest of the three on felony theft charges broke on June 26, the timing of his tweet seems to fit.
PRAY FOR ME..FOR I HAVE DONE WRONG
9:17 AM Jun 24th
Good Luck With Him, Husky Fans
And now, just to be perfectly clear:
You don’t ever, ever again get to complain again about Coach Neuheisel’s failure to discipline Pharms & Stevens, or any other “wayward” Husky player during his tenure there.
Love My Bruins
but can we still criticize him for not effectively recruiting a Pac 10 caliber offensive line talent over his final three years?
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Neu did fail to properly discipline those guys and to build a great offensive line
in the early 90’s. He’s guilty as charged. But what does it mean now? Nothing for UW, but something positive for UCLA. It shows Neu is a learner. His current disciplining and OL recruiting prove it. I guess we can thank Washington and Colorado for providing Neu with the experience that is, and will continue to, benefit our program.
by bornagainbruin on Jul 23, 2010 7:14 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hey, I don't deny those things happened
They’re pretty much on the record and not disputed by anyone who was or is paying attention. I just don’t care about it now because, like you said, it’s now benefiting our program.
The problem comes with the sour grapes UW fans who castigate him now as if he was the same guy he was then. Maybe at the beginning of his tenure, that griping would be justified because that would have been his first college action since his UW days. Now he has a two year body of work that shows that he’s not the same guy. Enter Sark, who can do no wrong in their eyes even though much of his “miraculous turnaround” is correlated to their QB not being injured in his first year.
Well as of yesterday they lost the moral high ground to someone they consider to be of low moral character. Let the UW fans’ cognitive dissonance begin.
Sorry if my post seemed like I was disputing you, I wasn't
Also, I totally agree with everything you just said.
Since being hired 2.5 years ago, Neu has had ZERO major or minor violations, has been a strict (but forgiving) disciplinarian, and has recruiting the big uglies hard. If people don’t see that Neu is a different coach now that he was at UW or Colorado they are either blind or not looking at the facts.
by bornagainbruin on Jul 23, 2010 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Another add ...
to this…
If people don’t see that Neu is a different coach now that he was at UW or Colorado they are either blind or not looking at the facts.
… or they have a specific agenda.
Sark the character guy
I must have missed Sark the Shark’s press conference in which he explained how ashamed he was about all the stuff that happened at just$c* while he was there. His supporters seem to be trying to build a moral peak for him to stand on, much like Cheatie Petie’s fans did. Well, if you’re going to assume that role, Sark the Shark, then it’s time for you to exhibit a little shame. You are either ashamed of what happened on your watch (and Lame’s watch) over there, or you’re proud of it. I don’t think you can be in the middle.
So if you’re proud of it, Sark, say so. If you’re ashamed of it, say so. You can’t keep quiet. Ethical Pat is making it sound like there’s an ethical revolution about to happen over at the cesspool. As I heard plenty of times on campus during the sixties, in a revolution there are no innocent bystanders. Sark the Shark can’t be a bystander on issues like this. He’s either part of the problem or part of the solution. Coach Neuheisel made it pretty clear where he stands on the issues. He recruited players who had not broken the law, and then kicked them off the team when it was reported that they did. Sark the Shark pursued those players. To me, Sark the Shark has made his position perfectly clear. Now that he’s standing high atop the mountain of ethical purity, it’s pretty easy to see that this particular emperor isn’t wearing any clothes.
(I use Sark the Shark, because in this particular respect, he reminds me of Tark the Shark.)
Ugh
“…again…again…”?
Apparently, I am now working for The Department of Redundancy Department.
Sorry folks.
Love My Bruins
Shirley moves on
but to what? A Cheatey clone. I wish the kid well as from those who knew him said he was basically a good kid but he has chosen the easy way this time> What about the next time?
One Thing
I don’t know Shirley at all, of course, but he is clearly a coward. He took the easy, coward’s way out out a mess he made.
Imagine the player—and person—he could have become by stepping up, taking full responsibility for his actions, working his butt off every day to prove that he’d learned his lesson and deserved the second chance Neu put on the table for him. Imagine the courage that would have taken being taken to the playing field, and to the classroom.
That is his missed opportunity, IMHO.
Love My Bruins
Washington
Can have all of our leftovers. it’s obvious Sark didn’t fall far from the Cheatey tree. UW take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Your high standards are showing.
Word is that Shirley is not going to be charged with anything.
by John Berkowitz on Jul 25, 2010 12:49 PM PDT reply actions
We also have word
That CRN had solid basis of facts for the severe action he took against Shirley and Richardsons. You should note that for a coach to run a program based on discipline he can use a higher standard than the one used under legal jurisprudence. Sarkasian went the route of easy out used by a scumbag like Carroll. CRN took the route we expect and demand from a Ucla headcoach. The difference between the two programs couldn’t be more clear and we are ecstatic for it.
by Nestor on Jul 25, 2010 2:39 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Coach Neuheisel could have hired a spin machine to come up with glib reasons to keep Shirley.
But he didn’t. He did things the way the greatest Coach of any sport would have done it – the right way.
I feel a little sorry for Shirley. I’m sure all his life he had mistakes overlooked because he was a great athlete. Now, when he needs to learn a lesson in humility, he instead is told once again that mistakes have no consequences if you’re a great athlete. I don’t know Rae Carruth, but i think it’s a reasonably safe bet that his life lessons as he grew up were that he could do anything and there would be no adverse consequences. Well, good luck, Shirley. I hope you learn something anyway, and don’t go the way of many other football players.
And good for you, Sark the Shark. Great lesson for you to be teaching to the young guys on your team. Is there anything that a great athlete can do that you won’t overlook. Sark?
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