Enjoy that title while you can, Kansas

Bad news in Jawhawkland.

Two months ago, the Dallas Independent School District appeared to have cleared former prep basketball star Darrell Arthur of benefiting from improper grade changes at South Oak Cliff High School.

Now after a report by a pesky TV station, the investigation has been reopened. "There are too many questions at this time for us to just leave it alone," Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said. Even worse, Hinojosa said he would ask for outside independent review of the academic records of Arthur and his former teammates.

In an investigation shows Arthur’s grades were changed to keep him eligible, and that he did not, in fact, have the necessary credits to graduate, the University of Kansas could be force to forfeit any or all games involving him — the 2008 NCAA title game won by the Jawhawks, as an example.

Arthur was last in the news, of course, for being booted out of the NBA rookie orientation camp for an incident involving marijuana. Also kicked our was his fellow rookie and fellow Jawhawk Mario Chalmers.

Back in Lawrence, they must be bustin' their buttons.

Friday column: Bad cornerback — bad, bad, bad ...

It happens all the time.

An athlete at a big-time collegiate jock factory does something stupid. The coach is pressed by reporters to reveal if there will be consequences. The coach says “certainly,” then wriggles out of saying what those consequences are.

Southern California football coach Pete Carroll is the latest to take the Weasel Way.
Carroll said that yes, cornerback Shareece Wright would be disciplined for an incident that led to his being charged with felony resisting a police officer. And, Pete, that discipline is ...?

“When we have situations and issues to deal with, we always do so internally,” Carroll said.

Oh.

We know the discipline won’t involve any loss of playing time, because Carroll said early in the week that if the injured Wright was medically cleared to play (turns out he wasn’t) he’d be on the field Thursday night.

Since Pete won’t tell us what the discipline is, we’re free to speculate. My guess is that Wright will be hit sharply on the helmet with a rolled-up newspaper.

***
On the other hand, in the Wright incident no one at USC has lied — as far as we know — which distinguishes the Trojans from many athletes who ply their trade in the National Basketball Association.
In just the last few weeks we’ve had:
* Rookies Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers deny smoking marijuana despite enough apparent reefer madness to set off a hotel-room smoke alarm.

* Another first-year player, Michael Beasley, originally deny involvement in the same pot incident before copping to the truth.

* Golden State guard Monta Ellis lying to his team about how he suffered a serious ankle injury months after signing a six-year, $66 million contract extension.

* And no list of NBA prevaricators should exclude O.J. Mayo, who in May denied receiving improper benefits from an agent in high school and college.

Last month, the agent, Calvin Andrews, was suspended for a year by the NBA Players Association for unspecified recruiting improprieties regarding guess who? — Mayo — which means somebody doesn’t believe him.

Since that action, Mayo, smartly, has made himself unavailable to reporters.

***
Ah, if only Josh Howard could learn to make himself unavailable for comment.
Howard, who in April felt the need to profess his love for cannabis, in July at a charity flag-football game looked into a cell-phone camera and said, “ ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is going on. I don’t even celebrate that shit. I’m black.” Howard then disparaged America’s first serious African American presidential candidate.

I don’t think even Pete Carroll would think a sharp rap with a rolled-up newspaper is sufficient for Howard; I suggest a muzzle.

Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.

With more experience, they'll tell better lies

Let me get this straight.

Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers apologize for getting kicked out of the NBA's rookie transition program — but deny using marijuana.

Hmmmm …

How do they explain the fact hotel security was first alerted to a problem by their room smoke detector going off?

How do they explain why they wouldn’t let security into their room, forcing hotel personnel to fetch a key?

How do they explain what was described as a strong stench of pot in the room?

How do they explain the person locked in the bathroom repeatedly flushing the toilet?

Darrell, Mario: If you’re going to feed us lies, at least give us plausible ones — please.

Dept. of Self-denial

So.

During the first night of the NBA rookie-transition program, reportedly there was enough marijuana smoke in former Kansas star Darrell Arthur's room — where Arthur and another former Jayhawk, Mario Chalmers, were entertaining young ladies — that the room's smoke detector went off.

Leading to NBA Commissioner David Stern going off, and booting the two out of the four-day seminar, which, yes, they'll have to come back and complete next year.

But Kansas coach Bill Self is not about to question the behavior of two players who helped him win his first national championship.

"We really don't know all the facts yet, and I certainly would never comment publicly on any personal matter concerning any player I have ever coached," Self said. "Beyond that, I can say that both Mario and Darrell were great to coach. They played a huge role in our success the past few years, in large part due to their unselfishness and the sacrifices they made for our program."

Which means what, exactly? They never smoked on game days?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3569725

Dept. of Not Getting It

The NBA has a rookie-transition program — mandatory for all first-year players — in which the young men are schooled for four days in what to do and not to do as proud professionals.

On the what-not-to-do list is getting caught with drugs.

Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur of Kansas had begun the seminar, but before they could digest that particular what-not, they were caught with weed — and women — in their hotel rooms and tossed out of the program.

Unlike the weed, the women were legal, though having them in their rooms violated program rules.

Besides being bounced from the program, Chalmers and Arthur allegedly were fined $20,000 each and might start the NBA season on the suspended list.

Here’s the kicker: since they were booted out of this year’s program, Chalmers and Arthur will have to attend the seminar again — next year.