Penn State Football Player Accused of Assaulting Tow Truck Driver
A star Penn State football player is facing a misdemeanor assault charge after a confrontation with a tow truck driver last month in College Township.
Abdul Carter
- Thread starter knickslions
- Start date
Let's be honest. If this were a Pitt or OSU player, we'd be crowing about culture problems and whatnot.
Pretty dumb stuff by Abdul. Hopefully he learns from it and moves on.
Pretty dumb stuff by Abdul. Hopefully he learns from it and moves on.
Never happened under Joe.... 😂 Lol! Ya sure.
An opportunity for JF to show what culture is all about, especially since he references it all the time. Abdul needs to miss playing time -- i.e. at least one game. What he did was calculated and moronic. Doing the offseason penance is nonsense and just shows to the players you can do this stuff and not face punishment. Let's see if JF has some stones for punishing an alpha male on the team.
They’re not student athletes any more and that seems to be what the majority of people wanted to see, so why worry about culture? They are paid professionals and if what happens doesn’t affect what they’re being paid to do, then do nothing. Can’t have it both ways.
Pretty hard to feel sympathy for a tow truck driver in State College, but Carter was wrong to get physical.
He was wrong and there will be legal ramifications. Doesn't mean Franklin has to do anything. He can if he wants but it's his program and his decision. The reality is in 2024 punishment is unlikely. Abdul Carter has too much value.
No question he has too much value...but JF needs to set the example that an incident like this isn't acceptable. I think a game suspension is warranted. Honestly, if we can't beat WVU without Abdul, it's going to be a long yr.
But why risk suspending him? I'm not worried about WVU with or without him but is that an example you want to set when recruiting is how it is today? Ideally he learned his lesson without a suspension. If not, he won't be here much longer anyway so...
I understand your point...it's a tough one. But, yes, I risk it. What does it tell the parents (whom JF mentions all the time) that there won't be tangible punishments for things like this. Also, to the team as well...if the punishment isn't losing playing time, these guys probably don't care then. Isn't the message to them that they can commit an act like this and not lose their time on the field? That is a slippery slope.
I think Carter needs to sit out a game. What he did was wrong and someone could have been seriously hurt. What if the tow truck had a gun and felt he it was his only way to defend himself. These are still very young adults and do some boenhead things. I hope he learns from this
Definitely a slippery slope. I don't know how much the parents still matter. Ultimately it comes down to NIL money and playing time not what you're going to do to make them a better person. I think that's one thing a lot of people dislike about college football today. Back in the 70s and 80s it could be seen as molding young men into the leaders of tomorrow but now it's just about winning games and preparing them for the NFL.
Trivial? The guy just doing his job ended up with broken ribs and in the hospital. Carter should be in jail. Franklin better kick him off the team ,,and Penn State should kick him out of school. He can go to Baylor.
Ask yourself this: would an NFL team suspend a player for a game for this type of incident? I think that the answer is absolutely not. PSU and programs like it have become de facto minor league pro football, and need to be treated as such.
I see the move to "Edgy Rusher" is going well. We need a little tough love like this coach gives
Oakman was booted for less than what Carter did. IMO
Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham said Oakman presented some items to the cashier at The Mix, but withheld a grape juice, valued at $1.29, and an Italian sub, valued at $6.59.
When the cashier refused Oakman his Penn State ID because of the unpaid items, Oakman shoved the employee against a wall, Parham said.
By the time police arrived at Pollock Commons, Oakman had fled the scene, Parham said.
Oakman, 6-feet-9, 270 pounds, was dismissed for what the school said was a violation of team rules.
“We have a policy book we put together,” O’Brien said earlier this month. “We went through the rules with our football team two weeks ago, and there are certain things that are off the field that I’ll leave between the team and myself that we will have no tolerance for.”
www.statecollege.com
Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham said Oakman presented some items to the cashier at The Mix, but withheld a grape juice, valued at $1.29, and an Italian sub, valued at $6.59.
When the cashier refused Oakman his Penn State ID because of the unpaid items, Oakman shoved the employee against a wall, Parham said.
By the time police arrived at Pollock Commons, Oakman had fled the scene, Parham said.
Oakman, 6-feet-9, 270 pounds, was dismissed for what the school said was a violation of team rules.
“We have a policy book we put together,” O’Brien said earlier this month. “We went through the rules with our football team two weeks ago, and there are certain things that are off the field that I’ll leave between the team and myself that we will have no tolerance for.”
Penn State Football: Shawn Oakman Faces Charges in Pollock Commons Incident
Former Penn State defensive end Shawn Oakman, dismissed from the football team last month, has been charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and retail theft, according to university police.
You probably had the same type of reaction about Theo Johnson last year when he was involved in a much more physically severe incident.
Just like with Theo, there will be zero impact on Carter’s Penn State career.
This isn’t the 1960s or 1970s. Let it go and move forward.
That was over a decade ago. Not even remotely comparable. People need to stop living in the past. We're evaluating the incident in 2024 not 2012 or 2000 or 1986.Oakman was booted for less than what Carter did. IMO
Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham said Oakman presented some items to the cashier at The Mix, but withheld a grape juice, valued at $1.29, and an Italian sub, valued at $6.59.
When the cashier refused Oakman his Penn State ID because of the unpaid items, Oakman shoved the employee against a wall, Parham said.
By the time police arrived at Pollock Commons, Oakman had fled the scene, Parham said.
Oakman, 6-feet-9, 270 pounds, was dismissed for what the school said was a violation of team rules.
“We have a policy book we put together,” O’Brien said earlier this month. “We went through the rules with our football team two weeks ago, and there are certain things that are off the field that I’ll leave between the team and myself that we will have no tolerance for.”
Penn State Football: Shawn Oakman Faces Charges in Pollock Commons Incident
Former Penn State defensive end Shawn Oakman, dismissed from the football team last month, has been charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and retail theft, according to university police.
You didn't feel that way when Vicky Triponey criticized Paterno for assuming authority over how to discipline players.
Yes, they have entered predatory territory to the students. I know other current students who've had their vehicles towed with no notice after very short periods in a lot (like they had just gone inside). They see the kids as money bags that won't fight. Would be nice if someone at the university or in State College government stuck up for the kids. Unfortunately, all they are is opportunities to exploit.
Further, this incident appears to have been escalated to violence by the tow truck driver at the moment that he threatened Carter with a metal bar. He's lucky that he didn't get beat with this metal bar after using it to threaten a much more physically dominant kid. Then to top it off, it appears that he was taking Carter's cell phone which in the police account is "by accident".
I am not advocating Carter's responses here but tell me as kid, late at night during a visit to a friend's place, your car is being towed and you try to pay the drop fee and the guy keeps trying to drive off with your vehicle, then threatens you with a metal bar, and then takes your cell phone, how do you respond?
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I suspect that a coaches decision about discipline is based on a players history. The coach might cut a kid some slack for a first offense but not so much when there have been previous problems. We just don't hear about the previous problems.Oakman was booted for less than what Carter did. IMO
Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham said Oakman presented some items to the cashier at The Mix, but withheld a grape juice, valued at $1.29, and an Italian sub, valued at $6.59.
When the cashier refused Oakman his Penn State ID because of the unpaid items, Oakman shoved the employee against a wall, Parham said.
By the time police arrived at Pollock Commons, Oakman had fled the scene, Parham said.
Oakman, 6-feet-9, 270 pounds, was dismissed for what the school said was a violation of team rules.
“We have a policy book we put together,” O’Brien said earlier this month. “We went through the rules with our football team two weeks ago, and there are certain things that are off the field that I’ll leave between the team and myself that we will have no tolerance for.”
Penn State Football: Shawn Oakman Faces Charges in Pollock Commons Incident
Former Penn State defensive end Shawn Oakman, dismissed from the football team last month, has been charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and retail theft, according to university police.
Based on what's happening on many college campuses right now, and particularly this week, it doesn't appear as if students are being disciplined for blatantly violating university rules by the feckless administrators, mainly because the tail now is in charge of the dog.
Also if memory serves me that was like Oaans 3rd or 4th incident ….
My advice is to follow the rule of law regardless of the student's status. This is a fairly low-end event as prosecutors always overcharge as it sets their negotiating position when they offer a plea. The devil will come down to the details, which none of us knows. My bet is that he settles with the driver and pays some kind of fine and this goes away.
Why is tow truck driver not charged? Is it acceptable for him to threaten students with tow bars? He was clearly the one who escalated the violence. Is it because the student is black and the aggressor was white in State College?
how do you know that? From what I read, the guy was called in to tow some cars and he was attempting to tow Carter's car when the pushing and shoving happened.
Carter’s Dodge Challenger was parked without a permit in the lot of the Aspen State College apartment complex on Squirrel Drive just after midnight on March 16, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by State College police. When a driver from Halfmoon Valley Towing attempted to tow the vehicle, the alarm went off, causing Carter to come outside.
Carter went back inside to get money to pay a drop fee, but, he told police, he wanted to be sure his car wasn’t being stolen, (this doesn't make sense to me) and when he returned to the vehicle he questioned the driver about his authority to tow. The driver informed him that Halfmoon has a contract to enforce parking violations at the complex, and that Carter would need to provide a name and address for the car to be released.
After Carter refused to provide the information, police wrote, the driver resumed the process of hooking up the car for towing. As the driver returned to the tow truck, Carter told him he was going to call 911 and used his forearm to block the driver from getting inside, according to the affidavit.
The driver, police wrote, grabbed a metal bar off the back of the truck and yelled at Carter to back away, which he did. When the driver got inside the tow truck, witness video showed that Carter wrapped his arms around the man’s abdomen and forcefully pulled multiple times to break his grip from the steering wheel, according to the affidavit.
either legally park or pay the damn fine. He could have called 9-1-1. But you cannot get physical with the driver. Dumb and entitled.I didn't feel what way? I thought Paterno was too strict with his decisions regarding players but also inconsistent--see Zordich. I can disagree with Franklin, like I did with Paterno, while still comprehending it is his team and his decision.
Not sure about "entitled"--young and dumb seems fitting here. I think a lot of people in their early 20s do something equally dumb regardless of "entitlement".
There was no pushing or shoving. Reread it. Carter used his forearm to block the driver from entering the truck.
The driver then took a metal tow bar and threatened Carter. Carter only blocked the entry. The driver grabbed a weapon and made a physical threat. The driver escalated the violence.
Again, I don't advocate Carter's response but this tow truck driver needs to be charged with a crime. He escalated the incident to violence and threatened a student with a metal tow bar. Would you want this done to your kid for simply blocking the entry to the truck? Charge this tow truck driver or else he is going to have the green light to threaten other students (and likely already has).
LOL..so if someone blocks your entry to YOUR vehicle, you don't think to maybe grab something to protect yourself? It's just cool and fine. Ok.
He didn't protect himself, he made a threat with the weapon. He escalated the violence. If you pick up a metal bar and threaten a much more physically dominant young man, then you just increased your odds of a serious beatdown with a metal bar.
Before the threat with the metal bar, it appeared that Carter was merely trying to find a way to pay a drop fee. This guy instead of working for that resolution, kept hooking up the tow and then was going to drive off. Then he threatened a student with a metal tow bar. He was the aggressor here and he was the one that escalated the incident.
MISDEAMENOR, not FELONY. A fine is appropriate here. Anything else is overreach.
All he had to do was provide his name and address (which the story mentions) to verify ownership, and he refused. Do you understand that when the driver was in the truck, witnesses say Abdul pulled him out of said truck. So, your alleging that Abdul reacted because he was threatened is nonsense. This isn't complicated. As was stated earlier, if this was a Umich or OSU player, we'd be crushing him.
I said that the driver escalated the violence and he did. Sounds like Abdul was trying to pay the drop fee. Was the vehicle in his name? Was he trying to avoid his name on a report to the football offices?
But the driver was intent on towing. Time is money. He had other students to prey on. I don't think you understand how aggressively they tow students in state college. Do you know any current students? And this driver is not only exploiting students but also making physical threats with weapons. Charge his a$$. Otherwise, this will get worse.
Do they even care about student safety anymore? Some tow truck driver can threaten students with metal tow bars and no charges? I normally don't subscribe to the whole black/white difference in treatment but that is the only reason I can see this driver being allowed to threaten a student with a weapon and not be charged.
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I'm well aware about the tow companies and the vultures they can be. But, you are conflating the issue for your understandable disdain for that industry (which I get) and the fact that Abdul allegedly made multiple mistakes and errors in judgment.
I have said repeatedly that I don't condone Carter's response. How can you not have read that? I have also said many times that you cannot have tow truck drivers making threats with metal tow bars to students. Charge his @$$ as well.
This is about student safety. It is unsafe to have a guy out there aggressively towing and making physical threats to students trying to pay drop fees. Either charge this menace to students or sue the crap out of his company and him personally.
in law, the first to get physical loses. call it what you want. If Carter laid hands on the truck driver, while trying to do authorized business due to Carter's unpaid parking, he's toast. Parse it all you want, that it the bottom line.
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