More of the Donald Little File -- XAVIER MENS BASKETBALL

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Date Posted: 11:38:57 07/24/02 Wed
Author: Peter Parker
Subject: More of the Donald Little File

First off, props to TBHPM for his latest post on Justin Hodge - maybe you should just give up your own daytime job and become the investigative reporter that this city badly needs.

But, that said, let's take a closer look at the Donald Little file in the past two years:

Cincinnati Enquirer - May 5, 2001

On May 3, 2001, Donald Little, B.J. Grove, and a few other UC basketball players were allegedly involved in a barfight. Little was charged with misdemeanor assault, and Grove was going to be charged with felony assault. To this date, we have never heard the fate of B.J. Grove in this matter - leads me to believe that charges were never filed. So therefore, it never happened, right?

Cincinnati Enquirer - May 20, 2001

On May 19, 2001, Little was arrested in Boone County for speeding in a work zone (which results in a doubled fine in most states), operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, driving under a suspended license, and possession of marijuana. Little was booted from the basketball team, apparently having run out of "2nd chances."

Quote from Bob Goin: The release says it all; that's all I'm going to say about it. He's done.

Cincinnati Enquirer - May 22, 2001

On May 21, 2001, a misdemeanor assault arrest warrant was issued for Donald Little. In an affidavit, Jennifer Hemmelgarn (an employee of In The Woods in Clifton) confronted Little for not wearing a wristband while drinking beer, per ITW's policy. Little did produce an ID, but apparently he wasn't satisfied. He promptly kicked her in the ribs and tried to drag her on the floor as she tried to flee to safety. As for his teammates in the bar at the time, the matter was never addressed.

Cincinnati Enquirer - May 23, 2001

The following day, Little was arraigned in Hamilton County Courthouse on the misdemeanor assault charge and was released without bond.

Cincinnati Enquirer - July 25, 2001

On July 24, 2001, we hear the first signs that Donald Little may be on his way back to the Bearcats. In regards to his arrest in Boone County, Little pled guilty to reckless driving, having an open container of alcohol, and not having his driver's license in his possession when he was pulled over. The original DUI charge was knocked down to reckless driving, the original charge of driving under a suspended license was knocked down to hot having a license in his possession, and the charge of speeding in a work zone was dropped altogether. I'm sure any and all of Kentucky's road construction workers will be happy to hear that - beware his vehicle if he's ever driving in your work zone at night the next time.

And why, might you ask, was Little's license suspended to begin with? On September 29, 2000, Little was pulled over for driving without a license plate and for driving with a suspended license for reasons the Enquirer would not disclose. If you go to Musketeer Madness, a laundry list of charges against Little appear for Hamilton County alone - which doesn't take into account Northern Kentucky or even his home state of Georgia.

Cincinnati Post - August 16, 2001

But, back to the assault trial. In a move that was well orchestrated and swept under the Cincinnati media's rug, Judge John Burlew was eventually assigned to the Little case. (No conflict of interest, right?) Knowing this, Little and his attorneys waived their right to a jury trial. Fortunately, TBHPM was on vigilant guard that summer. Check out the following post:

John Burlew And My Alcohol Problem

Brilliantly enough, the post was distributed to every member of the courtroom on August 15, 2001. In disgust, Burlew recused himself from the case, stating officially that he knew a defense witness. Of course, we'll overlook that he was the attorney for several UC players defended in the past. He also expressed disgust at all the "Bearcat haters and Donald Little haters" in the courtroom. TBHPM, let us know if Ted Froncek ever becomes a judge in the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

Cincinnati Enquirer - September 6, 2001

Finally, on September 5, 2001, Little pled guilty to a 4th-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct in the ITW case. The original misdemeanor assault charge was knocked down, and Little was sentenced to three months probation, a $120 fine, and was ordered to attend anger management classes. And don't forget this final prophecy:

Quote from the Enquirer: Mr. Goin had not ruled out the possibility of Mr. Little returning if he cleared up his legal problems.

Obviously, B.J. Grove and other UC teammates were never charged in their roles in the case - this case was now closed.

Cincinnati Enquirer - September 22, 2001

Well, guess who got another 2nd chance. On September 21, 2001, Little was reinstated to the basketball team. Here were the provisions for Little to follow:
- Attend anger management counseling (as ordered by the courts)
- Meet weekly with a counselor from the Dean of Students' office
- Stay out of establishments that serve alcohol
- Be on behavior probation by the athletic department

And here are some memorable quotes in the Enquirer from Huggins in the matter:

On Little's behavior: Caused embarrassment for our program
After the courts took action: Our penalty no longer fits the crime.
His final thoughts: I think we did what we should've done at the time. In retrospect, it's been a wonderful thing for him. Donald paid a price. I think it's really forced him to grow up and appreciate the opportunity that he has.

But wait, there's more. No suspension was announced for Little that day, yet B.J. Grove was suspended by then-Conference USA commissioner Mike Slive for 1 game for elbowing a UAB player in the head during the 2001 C-USA Tournament.

Cincinnati Enquirer - April 3, 2002

Seeing as how it was April 1, 2 things came to mind when the day began. #1, it was Opening Day in Cincinnati - a time in which the city all but shuts down with an opening-day parade in Findlay Market and the subsequent opener in Riverfront Stadium against the Chicago Cubs. By night, the NCAA Championship would take place between Indiana and Maryland.

But someone forgot to tell Donald Little about these two events on this day - apparently he had more constructive things to do on this day. The Justin Hodge episode, in which Hodge was hit in the face with a weight bar, burned with incense, and stabbed in the leg. His jaw had to be wired shut as a result. Hodge then told police that Little ordered friends in the apartment to take Hodge to Columbus, kill him, and dump his body there. Little was promptly charged with felonious assault and kidnapping. I can't wait to see how Little tries to plead this down.

Cincinnati Enquirer - April 4, 2002

A day after Little was suspended from all off-season activities (more on that later), Little was again dismissed from the UC basketball program by Huggins. This time, apparently, UC officials (as reported) are not going to allow Little to appeal the decision, seeing as how he violated his behavioral probation.

Cincinnati Enquirer - April 7, 2002

This was a column written by Tim Sullivan, who since has moved to San Diego. Sullivan was the only reporter who openly questioned the $2,500 that Little had in the apartment. This was probably the reason he went after Hodge, but why would $2,500 be in his possession? Even Sullivan hinted that NCAA investigators may want to take a look at this, if they aren't doing so already.

Cincinnati Enquirer - April 12, 2002

And here is Tom Hathaway, UC's SID, explaining the $2,500:

UC athletic department assistant athletic director for media relations Tom Hathaway says $700 was Little's monthly room-and-board subsidy and the rest was student financial aid.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but why would the $1,800 set aside for financial aid be in Little's possession and not in the hands of UC's office of financial aid? Bells and whistles should be going off here, but not in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Enquirer - May 8, 2002

So Little is permanently kicked off the team, right? Ummm, not exactly. Little was allowed to show up for the post-season banquet ceremony, because in Huggins's words, He's supposed to be here. This was about last year's team. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but is there some sort of loophole that allows him to go from suspended from all off-season activities (which included the banquet) to expulsion from the basketball program and yet still show up? The spin is beginning already.

And here we sit today - 5 continuances later, the trial is allegedly set to begin August 21, 2002. Notice the pattern from last year - chips are falling in place for Little to play again for UC in the fall. Huggins needs a center, and Little has a year of eligibility remaining. How odd.

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[> $700 for a room and board subsidy for an apartment that Little was subsequently evicted of for failure to pay rent. It's not just Little, look up any upperclass UC basketball player at courtclerk.org, and they've all been evicted. It would seem the $700 per month is subsidizing something else. -- BP, 11:59:53 07/24/02 Wed

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[> [> Life would be so much sweeter if I never had to pay for wnything and I could just smack bitches around when they gave me lip. -- Homeskillet, 12:36:58 07/24/02 Wed

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[> This comprehensive list of related articles is excellent work. Do schools really dole out thousands of dollars of financial aid in cash to their student athletes? The fact that many UC players don't pay rent and keep the money should be subject to an investigation in and of itself. I wonder who is paying for Donald's lush new pad in Springdale now? -- THE BOB HUGGINS POLITICAL MACHINE, 13:34:17 07/24/02 Wed

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[> [> You are just jealous of UC. The only reason you expose Bob Higgins' corruption is because you are jealous. Higgins' was just kidding when he said Little was kicked off the team. -- Father Graham, 15:46:44 07/25/02 Thu

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