Dean's List (cont.)

Detention List

Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf is facing a year-long suspension after allegedly punching a female student in the face. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

• Ohio State defensive end Nathan Williams claims he was just covering for a friend when he was caught shoplifting three shirts worth $80 from a Macy's store last Wednesday. Apparently, Williams' friend had been in legal trouble previously and Williams didn't want to see his buddy go to jail. Nor did the OSU football player believe he'd go to jail. Williams thought he'd just "get a ticket and pay a fine." He was misinformed. Williams has been charged with a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Here's some advice for the freshman: If you are an Ohio State football player and your bonehead friend decides to smuggle a few shirts out of a department store, don't take the blame. I don't care how good a friend this guy is. I don't care if he made you the sweetest mix-tape in middle school and beat up the guy who slept with your sister. Your past is never worth your future.

• When I first heard that Syracuse University's Judicial Review Board had recommended guard Eric Devendorf be suspended for the remainder of the academic year after he allegedly punched a girl in the face, I was quick to jump all over Syracuse's third-leading scorer. With his gaudy tattoos and history of poor decision-making, Devendorf seemed like the kind of guy who would do something this dumb. Well, there is no wrath like that of a scorned Syracuse fan. I was subjected to a barrage of criticism and accused of rushing to judgment. After having read much more on the topic, I will attempt to present the evidence void of opinion to appease my critics. On November 1, Devendorf, who was already on probation for a fight last spring, had a confrontation with Kimberly Smith, a Syracuse student and "acquaintance" of at least two Syracuse basketball players. Smith claims Devendorf hit her in the jaw with the heel of his hand. Devendorf says he shoved her in the chest in an act of self-defense after she almost ran him over in her car. Either way, there were no physical injuries and three witnesses, all basketball players, claim the confrontation was verbal, but not physical. The review board found Devendorf didn't take his probation seriously and violated the school's code of conduct, but did not physically harm Smith. So there it is. You decide -- Devendorf the scapegoat or Devendorf the arrogant aggressor?

• The initial impulse upon hearing Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs hired Gene Chizik as the Tigers' new head football coach is to scream, "Are you crazy?" Why would you force out a coach who went 85-40 in 10 seasons and replace him with a coach who went 5-19 in two seasons at Iowa State? What would possess you to hire a coach who failed to win a Big 12 conference game the entire season? But in these dark, recessive times, you've got to think positively. Maybe Jacobs is a genius. Remember, Pete Carroll was an unpopular choice at USC until he started winning games. The same goes for Frank Beamer when he became Virginia Tech's coach back in 1987. So while Chizik seems like a bizarre choice right now, he might end up being the best man for the job. Or, he could take over a mediocre football team and turn it into a horrible football team in a mere two years, just as he did in Aimes.

• I've got a lot of friends whose mothers don't get along with their girlfriends. It's an unenviable situation, but no more awkward than Zane Gay's predicament. Gay, a senior guard for Eastern Michigan who is averaging 6.4 points per game, has recently had to deal with a tiff between his roommate and his basketball coach. On November 22, after a 62-47 loss to the University of Detroit, EMU coach Charles Ramsey got into an "altercation" with Gay's roommate outside the team's locker room. Eastern Michigan, which refused to say if physical contact was involved, frowned upon the incident and suspended Ramsey for three days. When asked to comment, Gay replied, "I'm in a tough situation. I can't really say anything." On the bright side, at least Gay's roommate and coach don't have to share a dinner table over the holidays. That'd be the worst.

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