Jeff, I'm having a senior moment.  Is Pearson the guy who was kicked out of school for shooting people with a nerf gun (or some such) in a dormitory?  IF so, I remember I thought the penalty didn't fit the crime.  Glad to see that he's doing well at his new school.

Thanks, I guess I still have a synapses or two that are still firing.

It should be noted that the act took place shortly after the Virginia Tech shootings so nerves were sufficiently frayed.   As a basketball fan and a fan of Maurice Pearson I thought it was harsh but if you step back the crime was pretty bad. 

And kids who're much older than five, apparently.

Was he injured the year he took the redshirt? I thought he was supposed to be the more polished big man than Devaughn coming out of high school, but Mo was redshirted that year and Devaughn was in the rotation.

JSF is right. He was NOT kicked out of school. He was suspended. But because he was suspended, he could not stay eligible according to NCAA standards, hence the transfer. I think it was an Airsoft not a NERF as well, FWIW.

SInce we lost the thread on the old board and the details have obviously become foggy....

Maurice was a great kid and did come into the program as a 17year old with Devo, Natz and behind ROme, KV K and leon.... the Redshirt came and was a smart move that would have left him as a senior this year. He was very immature arriving on campus but was fearless. I thought he was a very bright kid academically and to talk to ....had a fun time watching him argue the merits of the soon to be released open source Android platform and the benefits over the IPhone with TOS who had just got one of the first iPhones. Kid knew his stuff and was quite learned and civil in discussion/debate.

At the same time Mo was IMHO getting railroaded by a bunch of lilly white sorority girls who  greatly overstated the incedent after taking hours to get their story straight a more egregious situation was taking place at Kansas with the Morris twins. (not to mention the other things going on off the court under Self) THat Kansas incedent,  of course, got lost in the wins column while Mo withdrew from classes and made a hasty move to keep his career on track after realizing what was facing him at Ohio. He never was  thug or anything but a well spoken well manner and unfortunately immature kid who tried to come off as a stereotype to a bunch of sorority girls who were in the dorm halls during Rush making lots of noise. He tried to be polite then he got a little more insistent that they leave so he could study. When they dropped the N word he went off on them and bradished a toy gun.

I understand the Va Tech stuff and am more than a careful person always stopping when I see something like an idiot manhandling a female or something similar in a parking lot or public place and have been more than outspoken and forward with recruits and players about the hazards of being black in Athens (like really... if you are a black man selling drugs in Athens do you think they will not figure out who you are?).....but this was not handled well. We need to examine and learn from our history so that we do not make the same mistakes in the future....and no...I am not preaplogizing as was suggested in the other thread.

The Maurice Pearson situation at OU is one of the most mentally agonizing and awkward situations I've encountered as a fan.  IMO, he should not have been placed in a situation where he was forced to transfer.  I've got to believe it was a "politically correct" action in light of the Va. Tech thing. 

I hope Pearson is able to find a good gig overseas somewhere. 

Sorry but no five year old I know of is allowed to play with airsoft guns. And by all reports nobody knew it was an airsoft gun when he emerged.  And make no mistake it wasn't reported as a prank. It was reported as a heated argument where Maurice exited and returned with the weapon.  I'm not saying i agree with what happened but it was a serious lapse of judgement on his part and in the end it wasn't shocking that it ended like it did.  And let's not forget that he was convicted of assault and menacing.   Again, I followed Maurice in high school and saw a few of his games including the state championship game. By all accounts he was a good kid.  But he made a big mistake.  I'm very happy he landed on his feet and seems to be doing well.

What a crazy story.  Hadn't heard details to this extent previously.  Did the sororites who used the 'N' word draw discipline?