News George Mason’s Anali Okoloji suspended for stepping on Anthony Collins (VIDEO)

[gmutom]

I don't know AO but I get the impression that he is a good guy. He made a mistake. I am sure he feels bad about what happened. We should let it go. No use continuing to hammer the guy.

Well said, Walt. And not to excuse Okoloji's actions, but a big reason he was so frustrated was because he didn't get the call on the other end. When one team is shooting 39 FTs for mostly hand checks, you would expect the refs not to miss a guy getting hammered while going strong to the basket. Again, it doesn't condone Okoloji's decision, but it does show how the refs let things get out of control by not calling the game consistently.

 

[JimP]

Well said, Walt. And not to excuse Okoloji's actions, but a big reason he was so frustrated was because he didn't get the call on the other end. When one team is shooting 39 FTs for mostly hand checks, you would expect the refs not to miss a guy getting hammered while going strong to the basket. Again, it doesn't condone Okoloji's decision, but it does show how the refs let things get out of control by not calling the game consistently.

I honestly couldn't tell conclusively if he was fouled on the other end or not. If he was, it was on the body. Not saying he wasn't, but after watching the replay I thought maybe he just got his shot blocked and his going down in a heap made it appear he was fouled. I agree, there is no reason to pile on the guy - I don't see something like that happening with him again. It's not going to be a regular occurrence like MM and the T problem. I bet he does feel pretty bad about it.

I still blame the mental make up of the team for the loss. That starts with the coach. This team needs a motivator/shrink type guy. As much as I hate to say it, somebody like Larranaga.

 

[Flexxar]

Maybe the school suspension is really just an excuse to eventually pull his scholarship? We've seen players do much worse and get no school suspension. It's suspicious. Most likely the fans complained that it cost us the game and he is getting punished for it.

 

[Yossarian]

Just watched the video. Deliberate. When you unintentionally step on something you don't see, your natural reaction is to take weight off that leg and lunge forward toward secure footing. Especially when that "something" is unstable, soft, and moving. Imagine crossing a knee-deep, murky, moving stream and stepping on a loose boulder/stone. Your body won't allow you to respond they way AO did.

Sorry if you disagree, but you're wrong.

 

[MasonFanatic]

It's not like the refs only missed one call. Okoloji got hammered multiple times, and on one of them, the ref just stared him down. I'm not sure any of them were conclusively fouls, but a good ref talks to the players involved and tells them to cool it, rather than silently daring them to react.

 

[Bricker]

Just watched the video. Deliberate. When you unintentionally step on something you don't see, your natural reaction is to take weight off that leg and lunge forward toward secure footing. Especially when that "something" is unstable, soft, and moving. Imagine crossing a knee-deep, murky, moving stream and stepping on a loose boulder/stone. Your body won't allow you to respond they way AO did.

Sorry if you disagree, but you're wrong.

This is a good argument. I thought AO was mostly innocent earlier, but this logic plus the suspension makes it almost impossible to think otherwise at this point.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Just watched the video. Deliberate. When you unintentionally step on something you don't see, your natural reaction is to take weight off that leg and lunge forward toward secure footing. Especially when that "something" is unstable, soft, and moving. Imagine crossing a knee-deep, murky, moving stream and stepping on a loose boulder/stone. Your body won't allow you to respond they way AO did.

Sorry if you disagree, but you're wrong.

That assumes he didn't lose his balance and fall back towards the player. I think the video is no where as conclusive as you make it and I am sorry if you disagree but you are wrong.

 

[GSII]

I watched it on DVR 20 times. He is falling backwards and pushes his foot into Collins. It's plain as day. He f**ked up. Lets move on.