10A NEWS REACTION (CONTINUED FROM 1A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
fight between teams he could recall. He said there had been a fistfight at The Hawk that involved both football and basketball play
ers, shortly after football training
camp last year.
He said he
thought any argu-
ments between
the programs were
uncalled for.
"I think it was stupid," Fields said. "I don't even know what would be that
serious. Especially in the same athletic department."
"I don't know what started the fight last year." Fields said. "I stayed out of all that. But I thought all that had been taken care of."
Don Fambrough, former KU football coach, said he, too, was confident in both Mark Mangino's and Bill Self's ability to handle the situation.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN Freshman guard Elijah Johnson is escorted out of Wesco Hall by Assistant Athletics Director Sean Lester. Johnson and other teammates left in a van driven by former player Brennan Bechard when police responded to an incident involving members both the basketball and football teams.
"If there's anybody guilty in either football or basketball, those two people will take care of it," Fambrough said. "I promise you that. They will not tolerate any nonsense like that."
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
WORDS FROM THE TEAMS
After the events from the past day, Kansas Athletics Director Lew Perkins gathered football and basketball players in the Anderson Football Complex.
"We all wear KANSAS on our uniforms, and we are proud of that. We need to act like it."
Basketball representatives Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich and football representatives Kerry Meier, Todd Reesing, Jake Sharp and Darrell Stuckey collectively released this statement:
"We appreciate the support these teams give each other. We'll be in the stands rooting for each other like we always have.
"We realize that over the past couple of days we've let a disagreement between a few guys grow bigger than it ever should have. We're embarrassed about that.
"Now we want everyone to know that we have met and talked it out. We realize we're all Jayhawks. We're proud of what both teams have accomplished.
"We all wear KANSAS on our uniforms, and we're proud of that. We need to act like it. We've met; we'll all on the same page, and we will move forward together. The football team is ready to get back to work, focused on
Saturday's game against Southern Mississippi, and the basketball team will continue to prepare for another great season."
CONCERNS
Despite the teams' reassuring words, some were still worried about the incidents themselves.
Taylor Copp, Lawrence sophomore, said he was bothered by the tarnishing effect these incidents would have on the University's image. He said that as the nationally ranked programs were a major source of pride for the University, the actions of these athletes affected the image of the entire KU community.
"These players should know they have to control themselves," Copp said. "They have an image for the whole campus, for you and me."
Copp said he hoped the KU police would be heavily investigating the altercations. He said
the brawl that broke out behind Budig was a disruption of peace and safety for the campus.
"We don't need that on our campus," Copp said. "It just seems like the law should be kept."
"Is it worth it? This kind of stuff is just stupid."
DEXTON FIELDS former KU wide reciever
involved to be sure that the average student can't get attacked like this."
Aside from the safety issues, many KU fans worry how these fights could affect the performance of the programs this year.
Greg Weseloh, Liberty, Mo.
senior, said he wry orbed about
the attitude of the basketball players toward the upcoming season.
"I hope they all keep basketball season in mind," Weseloh said. "It wouldn't be worth to see a key player go out, especially for a key game."
"Is it worth it?" Fields said. "This kind of stuff is just stupid."
— Edited by Brenna M. T. Daldorph
"Mario Little told me football players had beef with Sherron," he said. "He said they were talking trash."
FIGHT (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Joe Dooley, assistant coach of the basketball team, arrived while the police officers were questioning the basketball players.
After the initial yelling between teams subsided, the two separate groups of basketball and football players stood opposite each other, about 20 yards apart.
entrance to The Underground. KU Public Safety Capt. Schuyler Bailey said campus police, which has jurisdiction on campus, was conducting an investigation of the incident.
Police officers escorted some of the players inside Wescoe Hall shortly after the incident. The players were seen congregating outside the building near the
Investigations also continued for the Tuesday night incident between teams.
"We are aware of an incident that occurred last evening that involved members of the football and men's basketball teams" said Athletics Director Lew Perkins. "I am disappointed that some of our student-athletes put themselves in this position, and it's something that I am taking very seriously."
Player names and specific injuries have yet to be released by the Athletics Department, though sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor was seen at Lawrence Memorial Hospital Tuesday night after the skirmish. He had a dislocated thumb but was released, a nursing supervisor said.
Corey Thibodeaux, Jayson Jenks, Alex Garrison and Haley Jones contributed to reporting for this story.
Edited by Brenna M. T. Daldorph
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