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Rock Chalk Talk: Basketball
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Anything pertaining to basketball: college, pro, HS, recruiting, TV coverage
Arterio Morris -- charges dismissed
- HawkErrant
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7 months 2 weeks ago #32641
by HawkErrant
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
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Rape charge against former KU basketball player dismissed due to insufficient evidence
APR 9, 2024 - 3:47PM
CHRIS CONDE
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A rape charge against a former KU basketball player was dismissed on Tuesday due to insufficient evidence.
Arterio Morris, 21, of Dallas, was charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of rape in connection with an incident on Aug. 28, 2023, involving an 18-year-old woman at the KU basketball player’s dormitory, as the Journal-World reported.
Morris was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in March but instead entered into mediation talks with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office. A status conference was scheduled for Wednesday for the parties to update the court about the negotiations, but that conference was canceled with a note that said “case dismissed.”
The state, represented by Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden, filed a motion to dismiss citing “insufficient evidence,” according to court records. (Emphasis mine - HE)
Morris was suspended after the allegations were made public and was dismissed from the KU basketball program after he was formally charged in September 2023. Morris had been free on a $75,000 surety bond.
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My thoughts.
Not defending Morris in any way in the following.
Simply analyzing the situation in the framework of the highly competitive, high $ world of Men'$ College Ba$ketball.
I have wondered from the beginning if this case would go anywhere.
Morris may truly have been guilty as sin.
I do not know the numbers, but I do know that many, many sexual assault cases go nowhere due to lack of evidence.
And yet I can't help but wonder if Morris also may have been the target of a "sting" designed to keep him from ever playing at KU.
He was an easy target.
Yea, I can be cynical at times.
I've lived too long not to be.
And note that Self & Co, sensitive and still waiting for the final results of the NCAA fiasco, still left themselves wide open for such a ploy in taking Morris.
Whether this is mere speculation or not, as a result of this case I can see Self doubting if he will want to take chances on "troubled" young players in the future after this season. Not having Morris dramatically changed the team he had planned on for AY2023-24. There is no question in that assessment. And while I certainly understand if Self opts to stay off that path from now on, I think that is a shame because all some young people need are the right situation and helping hands to work themselves to a better place (see Jamari Traylor for one KU example).
Whatever the reality was in this instance, I hope both Morris and the young woman involved are able to go forward and have happy and productive lives now that this particular part of their lives is over.
Rape charge against former KU basketball player dismissed due to insufficient evidence
APR 9, 2024 - 3:47PM
CHRIS CONDE
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A rape charge against a former KU basketball player was dismissed on Tuesday due to insufficient evidence.
Arterio Morris, 21, of Dallas, was charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of rape in connection with an incident on Aug. 28, 2023, involving an 18-year-old woman at the KU basketball player’s dormitory, as the Journal-World reported.
Morris was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in March but instead entered into mediation talks with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office. A status conference was scheduled for Wednesday for the parties to update the court about the negotiations, but that conference was canceled with a note that said “case dismissed.”
The state, represented by Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden, filed a motion to dismiss citing “insufficient evidence,” according to court records. (Emphasis mine - HE)
Morris was suspended after the allegations were made public and was dismissed from the KU basketball program after he was formally charged in September 2023. Morris had been free on a $75,000 surety bond.
=========
My thoughts.
Not defending Morris in any way in the following.
Simply analyzing the situation in the framework of the highly competitive, high $ world of Men'$ College Ba$ketball.
I have wondered from the beginning if this case would go anywhere.
Morris may truly have been guilty as sin.
I do not know the numbers, but I do know that many, many sexual assault cases go nowhere due to lack of evidence.
And yet I can't help but wonder if Morris also may have been the target of a "sting" designed to keep him from ever playing at KU.
He was an easy target.
Yea, I can be cynical at times.
I've lived too long not to be.
And note that Self & Co, sensitive and still waiting for the final results of the NCAA fiasco, still left themselves wide open for such a ploy in taking Morris.
Whether this is mere speculation or not, as a result of this case I can see Self doubting if he will want to take chances on "troubled" young players in the future after this season. Not having Morris dramatically changed the team he had planned on for AY2023-24. There is no question in that assessment. And while I certainly understand if Self opts to stay off that path from now on, I think that is a shame because all some young people need are the right situation and helping hands to work themselves to a better place (see Jamari Traylor for one KU example).
Whatever the reality was in this instance, I hope both Morris and the young woman involved are able to go forward and have happy and productive lives now that this particular part of their lives is over.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
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- NotOstertag
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7 months 1 week ago #32644
by NotOstertag
"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot
We'll have an indicator of the "real truth" shortly.
If Morris was truly framed, set up, or falsely prosecuted, he has grounds for a HUGE civil suit. The accusation essentially killed his basketball career. Even 1 year of NIL money at KU would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but if you take potential future earnings into account, it could be millions. If he files a civil suit against his accuser or the State of Kansas, it will be a big indicator that he was set up (or at least very innocent).
As we all know, however, a conviction means you have to be "proven" guilty. Usually that includes some physical evidence, witness and victim testimony, and other information. If the lab screws up the physical evidence somehow, or if a key witness or victim changes their mind and refuses to testify, the DA's otherwise solid case crumbles. No DA wants to go to trail in that situation, so in this case a guilty party can't be proven guilty, and charges are dropped.
So if Morris and his reps take no further action, it's more likely that he did something but that the DA's case got short circuited.
In any case, I've never liked KU being the "second chance" opportunity for troubled kids. That might sound overly unforgiving, but I also believe in consequences. If a kid does something seriously (or violently) criminal, let some other institution take the risk. I also think the whole "second chance" thing is a little inaccurate. If Morris wasn't a top basketball player, nobody would be giving him a 2nd chance. So there's a self-serving angle here that we'd be willing to "help a kid out" but only if he can score 20 a game. Let's not pretend that KU or any other school is "being charitable" by bringing these kids in. We're using charity as an excuse to excuse a morally questionable decision. I've never been a fan of that.
Frankly, I'd rather lose with a team that I can be proud of than win with a team that I have to make excuses for. I think KU is in a favorable enough position where we can pick top players without rapsheets.
If Morris was truly framed, set up, or falsely prosecuted, he has grounds for a HUGE civil suit. The accusation essentially killed his basketball career. Even 1 year of NIL money at KU would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but if you take potential future earnings into account, it could be millions. If he files a civil suit against his accuser or the State of Kansas, it will be a big indicator that he was set up (or at least very innocent).
As we all know, however, a conviction means you have to be "proven" guilty. Usually that includes some physical evidence, witness and victim testimony, and other information. If the lab screws up the physical evidence somehow, or if a key witness or victim changes their mind and refuses to testify, the DA's otherwise solid case crumbles. No DA wants to go to trail in that situation, so in this case a guilty party can't be proven guilty, and charges are dropped.
So if Morris and his reps take no further action, it's more likely that he did something but that the DA's case got short circuited.
In any case, I've never liked KU being the "second chance" opportunity for troubled kids. That might sound overly unforgiving, but I also believe in consequences. If a kid does something seriously (or violently) criminal, let some other institution take the risk. I also think the whole "second chance" thing is a little inaccurate. If Morris wasn't a top basketball player, nobody would be giving him a 2nd chance. So there's a self-serving angle here that we'd be willing to "help a kid out" but only if he can score 20 a game. Let's not pretend that KU or any other school is "being charitable" by bringing these kids in. We're using charity as an excuse to excuse a morally questionable decision. I've never been a fan of that.
Frankly, I'd rather lose with a team that I can be proud of than win with a team that I have to make excuses for. I think KU is in a favorable enough position where we can pick top players without rapsheets.
"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot
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- hairyhawk
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7 months 1 week ago #32646
by hairyhawk
I do not want to get into whether IMO KU should or should not give kids a second chance. I say that because I think each person is unique and I do not like blanket statements about things like this. I just wanted to chime in that I completely agree with Not-O in that if the kid can help a team win they will get a second, third, and even forth chance. There is so much pressure to win that if they can really play someone will take that chance.
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