Dennis Dixon transfer

[DenverSooner]

If true you should place some value in the word "college". OU doesn't need a bunch of unconnicted felons playing for it.

 

[garyeb2]

I'm falling behind again. Let me see if I have this right. There is a line. Somewhere. It falls between guilty of a misdemeanor and accused but never charged with a felony. Some are gifted with the ability to see that line clearly with just a glance and for others the line only becomes visible when all of the details are known. Do I have it or I missing something?

 

[Big Old Booger]

This was a huge story here in KC the last few years. If I remember correctly, he had just been cleared to play after the first accusation when the second occurred. How dumb do you have to be to do it again after just getting to keep your eligibility from the first accusation?

He's a good player, but we can do better. However, if he comes here, I would hope he helps us win, keeps his nose clean, and graduates.

I doubt it will happen though. Notice all the programs that inquired about him, but now its down to ECU, Baylor, Colorado, and Loyola Marymount. The big programs (Oklahoma, Memphis, Purdue, and Louisville) all said "no thanks".

 

[BoulderSooner]

I'll leave it up to LK. I don't think we really need a guard for one year, no matter how good he is. That said, Dusty Dvoracek beat a man half to death, Bob gave him another shot, and it seems to have worked out for all involved.

your info on dusty is so incorrect ..

 

[WTSooner]

your info on dusty is so incorrect ..

Huh?

beat a man half to death,

How is that not true? The man was in a coma iirc.

Bob gave him another shot,

How is that not true? I didn't say Bob didn't punish him. Yes, he was kicked off the team, but from day 1 he was told that if he did what Bob asked him to do, he'd get another shot at playing.

and it seems to have worked out for all involved.

How is that not true? I suppose it didn't work out for the kid that got beaten. But Dusty got the help he needed, did the right thing, and seems to have turned his life around. OU got another season (or two?) of above average DT production.

So exactly what in my original statement was "so incorrect?"

 

[Sawyer]

Some clarification:

Dixon was not kicked off the Mizzou team or kicked out of school. Not officially. He chose to transfer. (likely not a choice, though)

He was never charged with a crime, and both happened before he was initially suspended. No one (publicly) knew of the accusations until about December 2012.

The first incident happened a few years ago. It sounded pretty bad, and apparently a nurse who administered a rape kit said there were signs of force, but the woman never pressed charges. The second one seemed more questionable, and the police never even bothered to interview Dixon despite the woman's desire to pursue the case.

Dixon's reputation on campus even before these incidents was not exactly sparkling. He was already viewed as somewhat of a creep.

He also had academic issues, and he might have initially been suspended for that. I've been told he was actually kicked out of school and had to appeal to the chancellor to get back in. The sexual assault charges obviously complicated things further, but even without that, he had questions (albeit ones not all coaches or schools care about).

"He's a good player, but we could do better" is entirely false if you're talking talent on the floor. Dixon has All-American ability. He was overlooked as a junior because of Denmon, English and Pressey, but he's right on that level. There is no one else available right now as good as him.

But he only has one year of eligibility left, and he would need a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible. Normal transfer rules require a player to sit out a year IN RESIDENCE at their new school. He finished the fall semester at MU and left school in the spring, but he never enrolled anywhere else, obviously. The normal one-year clock hasn't started yet for him. His five-year window to play would expire if he now sat out like a normal transfer. He's relying on the NCAA to give him a waiver like they did the kid from Xavier, but in that case, the kid was kicked out of school with no charges. Dixon officially chose to leave. That could be the difference.

Dixon still maintains his innocence. If you're willing to take a chance if he's cleaned up his act, I'd think you'd want to hear an admittance of some responsibility (at least something about putting himself in bad situations with the wrong people). But he's said none of that publicly. Others, including Kim English and Laurence Bowers, have both been consistent in their support of him. In addition to the public support, a friend of mine knows him, and she said the accutions are a joke (she personally saw texts from the second accuser that paint a pretty clear picture of a consensual act).

Following the first accusation, the woman actually met with Mike Anderson and others and gave a pretty detailed account of what happened. From what I remember reading about it, Anderson encouraged her to pursue the case but made no actions of his own. I don't know if Haith was aware of this when he took over or made the initial suspension.

There are also questions about his accusers and their relationships with another woman on campus who has accused an athlete of rape (this one went to trial, and the player, Derrick Washington, spent time in jail). If you're inclined to doubt these types of accusations, you could see a group of women out to get athletes. Or you could see a group of athletes who identified a group of women who were easy targets.

All that said, I still don't know where I stand on this. If he's guilty of what's been said about him, he not only shouldn't be playing buy should also be in jail. But too many people are in his corner for me to just accept the accusations are true.

In the end, I think he deserves another shot, but he'd do well to get out of the area. At Oklahoma or any other Big 12 school, he'd still be in the media a lot in KC, which would be a huge distraction. He needs to head to the Big 10 or one of the coasts.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Thanks for the clarification. I seriously doubt that the OU basketball staff is pursuing Dixon.

 

[DFWHoopster]

Some clarification:

Dixon was not kicked off the Mizzou team or kicked out of school. Not officially. He chose to transfer. (likely not a choice, though)

He was never charged with a crime, and both happened before he was initially suspended. No one (publicly) knew of the accusations until about December 2012.

The first incident happened a few years ago. It sounded pretty bad, and apparently a nurse who administered a rape kit said there were signs of force, but the woman never pressed charges. The second one seemed more questionable, and the police never even bothered to interview Dixon despite the woman's desire to pursue the case.

Dixon's reputation on campus even before these incidents was not exactly sparkling. He was already viewed as somewhat of a creep.

He also had academic issues, and he might have initially been suspended for that. I've been told he was actually kicked out of school and had to appeal to the chancellor to get back in. The sexual assault charges obviously complicated things further, but even without that, he had questions (albeit ones not all coaches or schools care about).

"He's a good player, but we could do better" is entirely false if you're talking talent on the floor. Dixon has All-American ability. He was overlooked as a junior because of Denmon, English and Pressey, but he's right on that level. There is no one else available right now as good as him.

But he only has one year of eligibility left, and he would need a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible. Normal transfer rules require a player to sit out a year IN RESIDENCE at their new school. He finished the fall semester at MU and left school in the spring, but he never enrolled anywhere else, obviously. The normal one-year clock hasn't started yet for him. His five-year window to play would expire if he now sat out like a normal transfer. He's relying on the NCAA to give him a waiver like they did the kid from Xavier, but in that case, the kid was kicked out of school with no charges. Dixon officially chose to leave. That could be the difference.

Dixon still maintains his innocence. If you're willing to take a chance if he's cleaned up his act, I'd think you'd want to hear an admittance of some responsibility (at least something about putting himself in bad situations with the wrong people). But he's said none of that publicly. Others, including Kim English and Laurence Bowers, have both been consistent in their support of him. In addition to the public support, a friend of mine knows him, and she said the accutions are a joke (she personally saw texts from the second accuser that paint a pretty clear picture of a consensual act).

Following the first accusation, the woman actually met with Mike Anderson and others and gave a pretty detailed account of what happened. From what I remember reading about it, Anderson encouraged her to pursue the case but made no actions of his own. I don't know if Haith was aware of this when he took over or made the initial suspension.

There are also questions about his accusers and their relationships with another woman on campus who has accused an athlete of rape (this one went to trial, and the player, Derrick Washington, spent time in jail). If you're inclined to doubt these types of accusations, you could see a group of women out to get athletes. Or you could see a group of athletes who identified a group of women who were easy targets.

All that said, I still don't know where I stand on this. If he's guilty of what's been said about him, he not only shouldn't be playing buy should also be in jail. But too many people are in his corner for me to just accept the accusations are true.

In the end, I think he deserves another shot, but he'd do well to get out of the area. At Oklahoma or any other Big 12 school, he'd still be in the media a lot in KC, which would be a huge distraction. He needs to head to the Big 10 or one of the coasts.

good info- thanks Sawyer