Posted on 11/16/2004 10:33:34 AM PST by onehipdad
Football player charged with assault on National Guard officer
Associated Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. - An Oregon State football player has been charged with assaulting an Oregon National Guard soldier after a fight resulting from racial comments about the soldier and his wife.
Joseph Rudulph, 19, a freshman from Sacramento, Calif., was arrested Friday after the confrontation early Friday morning at the Headline Cafe in downtown Corvallis.
Staff Sgt. Gabriel Sapp was dancing with his wife at the restaurant when they were approached by a group of black men, identified as Oregon State football players. The men began making comments to Sapp's wife, who is also black, about her relationship with her husband, who is white, according to Corvallis police Capt. Jon Sassaman.
"At some point, his wife was targeted with comments about why she was with a white male," Sassaman said. "This escalated into an argument that led outside."
According to witnesses, a large crowd gathered around the couple during the argument. Sapp was punched in the face and was knocked unconscious when he hit the ground. His wife was also knocked to the ground when Sapp was struck.
Witnesses identified the attacker as Rudulph. The men fled the scene shortly before Sapp's wife flagged down a passing police car. After gathering statements, police tracked down Rudulph at his residence. Sassaman said Rudulph admitted hitting Sapp, but claimed he was reacting to racial comments by Sapp.
Witness accounts, however, did not back up that statement, according to Sassaman.
Rudulph faces assault, harassment and disorderly conduct charges.
University and team officials had no comment.
Sapp was celebrating his last night of leave with his wife at the restaurant. Sapp is a squad leader assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, 39th Brigade Combat Team.
He left for Iraq Friday.
Nothing compared to the looks black females give when a black man is with a white woman. Been there when I was young and dating down in Cali...many moons ago.
One of the reasons I chose to live on the Oregon Coast don't have the racsist crap, except now the meth heads have moved up here, but we are aggresively removing them from our community.
Mostly retired folks, fishermen and decent hard working generation of local Christians with a some extreme lefties/socialists in our small coastal town.
Screws up things for peope who are really severly disabled and want to work.
My son who is a quad volenteered most of his life untill his health limited him.
Ticks me off that resources are almost non existant for truly severly disabled.
Those who are users and abusers suck resourses dry.
So in short you are saying it was drunken jealous love.
Good site. Thanks.
"So in short you are saying it was drunken jealous love."
Pretty much, with a volatile mix of testosterone.
I agree completely. Sadly, I bet we all know of someone, or multiple people, abusing the system. So many lazy, greedy, people who want something for nothing...
(paid for by you and me...)
So let me get this straight: The ball players approach the soldier and his wife and start making derogatory racial comments about a white guy being with a black chick.
The soldier let's it slide, so the now disinterested, underage ball players start to leave.
As they are walking outside a friend of the soldier's wife starts "ratcheting" it up (I assume talking smack but it's not clear in reference to whom or what), causing the soldier to run outside where he is knocked-out cold by the ball player who didn't make racial commments.
Oh, and somewhere in this whole thing the football player said that the soldier called him a name white folks aren't supposed to say, causing the uncontrolled action of the ball player's hand up against the soldier's head.
"First of all, I wasn't quoting the MSM. I created my post from your "information"."
Don't lie on top of your uninformed bigotry: Before you posted, I had never mentioned that Rululph claimed that a racial slur was used - that point come straight from the MSM. As for your little "information" dig - I have a whale of a lot more information that you have: You have only the MSM and this thread....I've spoken to one of the bouncers, another person who was there, a guy who knows the arresting officer and parents of team members. Not admissable in court, I'll grant you, but neither are news reports.
"Use of the word "soldier" is relevant as this was the guy's last night out with his wife before shipping back to Iraq." What? Explain how that information is relevant...did he get hit harder because he was a soldier? Were comments made based on him shipping out the next day? Did someone dislike him more because he was going to Iraq? Geez man, you sound like Michael Moore. Neither being football players or soldiers are relevant to the assault - I use the terms for easy identification purposes only.
"Of course in Oregon this is why the story got traction - because of the big game. Four black guys jumping a white guy and his black wife wouldn't rank otherwise."
You should probably limit your comments to things you have a glimmer of knowledge about - you are about as wrong about this one as it is possible to be.
"This remains to be seen. I doubt the situation would've become as heated as it did if she was with another black guy. Why did her friends get so angry? Because they (ball players) were simply making male/female comments? They had to have been talking serious smack for everyone to get so angry."
I think more people die in the US each year over sexual jealousy than from racial confrontations. I think your assumptions here are completely wrong. Had there not been a prior relationship, I doubt if anything would have been said. I know for a fact that this wasn't the only black/white couple in Corvallis, but it's the only one they confronted.
"So there are no mitigating circumstances so far for the coach to look at." Well aren't you the wise one. You list three facts and boldly state that there are no mitigating circumstances, something you are completely ignorant of....fortunately, the coach is waiting to get all the information he can before deciding on full punishment. Rululph will not be playing any more this year. It remains to be seen if he will stay on the team - most are betting that he is gone, but Riley is waiting for more information before making that decision. The other players have served their one game suspension for violating team rules and will be eligible for the bowl game.
Your comment regarding hate crimes is ignorant, stupid and hypocritical. There is no basis for a hate crime charge - so none has been made. If hate crime law is stupid, it is stupid regardless of where it's directed. To encourage hate crime law being directed at black men, while decrying its use against whites makes you no different than those who celebrate its use against whites and protest its use against blacks. The best way to get rid of bad law is to get rid of it.
The reason there is no hate crime is because the person making racist remarks did not throw a punch. The guy who is charged with assault did not make any racial remarks. As bad as hate crime law is, it couldn't be applied here regardless of the color of the victim.
LOL! I was wondering when the name calling would start. I simply want all parties treated the same if the roles were reversed and suddenly I'm a bigot.
So you've talked to players, bouncers, probably the mayor, etc. But still no police report. How odd. What dog do you have in this hunt?
C'mon. It's been almost two weeks, hasn't it? When is all this "new" information going to come out? Surely the police report is available by now. Or are they sitting on it?
"Name calling" - the new hate crime.
I've talked to the people I've mentioned. I've taken a wait and see attitude regarding the situation based on all the information you have, and all the information I have - information I have shared with you, but you choose to discount (but you accept MSM accounts at face value????)
I am tired of restating things I've already posted and you have chosen to ignore - so please cite the white person who has been arrested for a hate crime for hitting a guy that somebody else called a racist name.....I don't think you can do it - so you've gotten your stated "want": Black guy isn't charged with a hate crime because he didn't make racist comments before hitting white guy. "Bigotry" applies because of your obvious desire to hang something on this black kid - even after I've explained the reasons a hate crime charge doesn't apply (and wouldn't apply to a white kid either). While claiming to want equal treatment, you are actually promoting unequal treatment based on race - maybe it's my provencial world, but that's what I call bigotry.
I have no dog in this hunt, other than more information than the average joe.
The police report will become public when it becomes public - they use the excuse of "ongoing investigation" - just like every police department I've ever heard of....why don't you just relax and let the investigation run its course, let the trial be held, let Coach Riley decide what he's going to do about it and THEN you can start bad-mouthing folks based on what was actually done instead of what you THINK was done and what you THINK might be done or not done?
What a strange world you live in. I want equal treatment but am promoting unequal treatment because of his race??
I want some of the crack you're smoking.
Show me the white guy prosecuted for the hate crime you want this kid charged with.
You're joking, right? You can't find anywhere on the net where a white guy was charged with a hate crime following an assault?
Are you purposely being dense? Show me a white guy who was prosecuted for a hate crime for hitting a black guy when the white guy's friend was making racist comments.
You can't do it - so you ignore the facts of this case and scream "hate crime! hate crime!"
No, I'm not joking - show me the case.
This fits the critera for a "hate crime".
Why weren't they charged?
I already know the answer to this, but.....
And where were tha advocates of "tolerance"?
Again ....
In another dy and time he would be kicked off the team, expeled from the college, prosecuted, convicted and sent to state prison.
As it is, he will be the school hero.
How far we have fallen as a nation.
Sorry, but so far you're the only one that is saying a friend of Rudulph's was the one making the comments.
Do you seriously believe that? What are you a dumbass?
It does NOT fit the criteria for a hate crime. He is charged with assault, but not a hate crime, because he wasn't the one making racial comments - and the guy making racial comments didn't hit anyone.
The other three were charged with Minor in Possession at most. All four were suspended for the biggest game of the year. Rudulph - the kid charged with assault may receive further discipline, pending further investgation (university and police).
Too many people going off the deep end with the prompting of the MSM. Read my other posts on this thread, there's more to this than is being reported in the press.
Finally - hate crime law is bad law, in this instance as much as in others.
Wait until is happens to be white v. Black or straight v. homosexual and then see what happens.
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