In the world of college football in this day and age, it’s only a matter of time before your program’s number is called regarding run ins with the law.
Hurricanes linebacker Ramon Buchanan is the first UM player arrested since eventual-transfer, quarterback Robert Marve punched a car mirror and ran from police on Halloween night 2007.
While the lack of trouble is commendable (credit to Randy Shannon for running a tight ship), Mr. Buchanan certainly seems like he made this one count. Again, the key word here is ‘allegedly’ – but according to the police report, No. 45 was drunk, disorderly, ran his mouth and acted above the law – and if that truly is the case, all eyes will be on head coach Al Golden, regarding disciplinary action.
Buchanan has since been ‘suspended indefinitely’, which is fair at this point. Innocent until proven guilty should apply – especially when talking about the future of a college student who made a mistake that many have made after one-too-many ‘190 Octane’ frozen concoctions at Fat Tuesday.
According to Sgt. Javier Ortiz and Officer Artice Peoples of the Miami Police Department, Buchanan was drunk and caused a disturbance in the men’s bathroom of the popular watering hole in Cocowalk.
After being told he was under arrest, Buchanan was placed in a chair in the security office and allegedly charged Peoples and “began to thrash his body”, attempting to headbutt Ortiz and spitting on the officer’s palm. After refusing to respond to orders, Buchanan was forced to the ground.
Even more disturbing that Buchanan’s actions- his words. According to the report, Buchanan told then supposedly stated, “I’m a UM football player and I don’t give a f**k what you do. I’ll get out of it. F**k the police.”
If I’m Coach Golden, those three sentences, if accurate, would have Buchanan thrown off my team for good. Again, if accurate and if “allegedly” becomes “absolutely”.
Being a University of Miami football player might’ve made you above the law in the 80s – but not in 2011 and not when this program has spent the past three decades working to clean up its image.
As clean as a program as Miami has run this past decade, this is the type of story that will make headlines — because it’s Miami, because much of this nation hates ‘The U’ and because once a certain stigma is attached, it never goes away.
The University of Florida had over thirty arrests on Urban Meyer’s watch the past several years – but many were swept under the rug or quickly forgotten. A big reason is due to Gainesville being a podunk college town with a small media market. (As if Pat Dooley from the Gainesville Sun is really going to crucify a then-head coach with two titles in three years in a town that bleeds orange and blue.)
Mess up in South Florida and there are dozens of beat writers and national writers ready to make the story prime time. It’s the nature of the best.
No. 45 deserves the right to share his side of the story, but based on this initial report, it comes off like a standard drunk and disorderly with a college athlete who felt they were above the law. Not sure how much more light can really be shed, but time will tell.
Hopefully this is the case of an overzealous cop looking to make something out of nothing. Regardless, the bad press is a real disappointment and hopefully Coach Golden isn’t afraid to rule with an iron fist. Even with the lack of depth and production at linebacker the past few years, no one is bigger than this program.
If Buchanan did what was reported – again, if – then it’s time to pack his bags. This type of behavior cannot be tolerated at Golden’s new-look, old school ‘U’.
How many times have NFL players gone with the, "Don't you know who I am?" card.
It's never worked for them and it's not going to work for a college player either.
That's what alcohol does for you though.
Please don't make the mistake of taking whatever is written in the incident report as gospel, because cops are human and they often have a very one-sided view of what happened. Case in point, I'm very familiar with Sgt. Javier Ortiz and his douche tactics. My friend had a similar incident to Ramon on his 21st birthday outside Fat Tuesday. Sure, he was drunk (it was his 21st bday) but he never threatened nor cursed at any police officer, yet Sgt. Ortiz arrested him anyways by throwing him to the ground and later writing in the incident report that my friend resisted arrest with violence and tried to escape. That is pure b.s. because I was there and saw it with my own eyes. Ortiz is one of those wanna-be tough guy cops who's always on a power trip and thinks he's holier than thou. In reality, he's just a douche who doesn't deserve to wear the same badge real cops wear. I'm not saying Ramon is free of any wrongdoing, just want to say that incident reports are highly prejudicial and almost never reflect the truth of what happened. I got your back Ramon, hope you use this as a learning tool and make the most of any second chances you may get. As for Ortiz, wow I hate that guy.
Raisin', fully agree – and tried to write the piece accordingly, with words like 'allegedly', 'if' and talking about innocent until proven guilty.
IF Buchanan played the, "I'm a Cane – you can't touch me" card and both spit on and attempted to head butt a police officer – he needs to go.
If this is indeed nothing more than trumped up charges from a meathead officer on a power trip and with an axe to grind, then may Sgt. Ortiz get what's coming.
Either way, a UM player getting drunk in public and getting into some kind of trouble … not the kind of press Al Golden and staff were looking for at this point of the game.
It's spring ball and the focus should be on position battles – not nonsense like this.
It amazes me that people believe anything written in a police report. Its uaually the cop trying to justify his most likely over-reaction to a situation.
unfortunately, I remember witnessing this incident indirectly. Not sure he said those words but he did mess with a cop. I don't know why his boys weren't restraining him. That's what the entourage is there for right? take the hit for the big guy?
"If I'm Coach Golden, those three sentences, if accurate, would have Buchanan thrown off my team for good."
Couldn't agree more. If Buchanan was as contrite and apologetic as Golden made him out to be, then obviously he's 1) quite guilty, and 2) not contesting what's written in the report.
We've all done stupid things while drunk, but this just can't happen from a representative of the U. He needs to go.
fat tuesday's serves a 190 octane, call a cab is a wet willie's drink
Miami cops are notorious for exaggerating events in their favor. a police report is an opportunity to present a biased angle of what might have happened. no police officer is going to be fair and balanced when completing a report.
notwithstanding the report, buchanon made a number of mistakes, including getting drunk in public, being out late, acting violently, etc. if any of these are true, i'm not sure he should be expelled; he's a kid and made a huge mistake, but i would support a one year suspension (no jim tressel baby suspensions). keep him near the team, and in the fold to teach him (and others) a lesson. they are student-athletes at the end of the day.
put him on the street and you might end up hurting him significantly more down the road.
RSA Coral Gables
p.d. raisin' cane, is that you? richard?
fat tuesday's serves a 190 octane, call a cab is a wet willie's drink.
… spoken like a true connoisseur of frozen alcoholic beverages. Thanks. Had them mixed up.
I can't believe someone is playing the, "police put anything in those reports" card here.
Do cops sometimes embellish? Of course.
Do drunk, hopped up, egotistical, meathead football players sometimes feel invincible and would they say to 'f#@k the police' when lashing out? Of course.
As they say, nothing good happens after midnight and had Mr. Buchanan simply cooperated with police and left the establishment, none of this would've happened.
The fact he resisted doesn't bode well for his side of the story.
honestly fellas,
Look at some of the good of this. maybe there gettin back to them mean ol' canes who don't take sh*t from anyone even on the field. maybe they will actually start playing with attitude. there startin to get that Thugish []_[] that used to win championships. isn't funny how when the university of florida starts gettin alot of run ins with the law then they start doing good. we'll see what happens but as a true cane fan no matter what I'm glad to see some mean Canes around here again. Its all about the []_[] and it always will be.
Who knows what really happened there. I can tell you there is a cop that works the beat at Fat Tuesday and has quite the Napoleon complex. Definitely don't agree with Buchanan's actions and I'm not making excuses for him, but the above statement is very true.
I wholeheartedly agree with the author that Golden needs to send a message if this turns out to be true. For some reason, I can picture Buchanan doing this, even though there seem to be no other published reports to the contrary.
Whatever happens, as soon as a verdict is rendered, UM needs to act swiftly. Miami doesn't want to be known as some of these other programs in recent memory that put winning above all else (UF, Ohio State to name a few).
I tell you, in addition to not letting him practice, I would run him ALL day until a solution can be reached (guilty or not) to teach him and the team to not even put themselves in that situation again.
Your telling me that it was Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day and Buchanan was the only rowdy drunk at this place? No way. Big guy, little cop. I've been there. Unfortunately, you have to put up with it and shut up or it just gets worse.
Mr. Buchanan is a football player on the Hurricanes, he is a student athlete at Miami — he's also a human being. He's allowed to go out, he's above the legal age for drinking, so he's allowed to consume alcohol. Nobody knows what happened regarding the situation at Fat Tuesday's. To say Ramon should make better decisions is unfair. Assuming the police officer was less than inviting, how would any one of us react to the situation if we felt we weren't being treated with respect? It's easy to sit here and say make better choices. Hindsight is always 20-20. He's not a thug, he's not a problem, he's not a 'me-first' player. When you have college students consuming alcohol in the Grove, police are naturally going to be less tolerant for adolescent behavior. Saying "I'm a miami football player", while intoxicated, after the immeasurable amount of work he has surely put in up to that point (given his black jersey status) shouldn't erase it. Ramon can learn from the situation. As fans, we too can learn from this situation as well. More so than any punishment that can be issued to him, the embarrassment from having your name circulated on the internet should serve as a reminder that athletes are judged on a different level. Golden doesn't need to make an example of Ramon by kicking him off the team. If the team is truly STUDENT-athletes, what's more important — making a teammate earn the respect and playing time back after one mistake, or completely ridding yourself of the player after only one mistake as opposed to his 2+ years of unrivaled effort. While we all want the same thing, a national championship, Al Golden's job is to position these players so that after they leave the university they are better men. There are ways to show that consequences exist for poor judgment. Losing a starting position for the season, not playing in any games, or perhaps a few extra 'gassers' at 4am on a friday would do much more for Ramon, and the TEAM, then anything that would be done should he be kicked off.
The shirt says UFamily for a reason. Stay together through thick and thin.
The shirt says UFamily for a reason. Stay together through thick and thin.
… you make some respectable points, but to your statement about the U FAMILY, Ramon has to hold up his end of the bargain there, as well.
However you slice and dice this, a UM football player got drunk and appeared to have been messing up a bathroom at a bar.
RB was asked to leave peacefully – and had he done so – this wouldn't be an issue.
As corrupt as some Miami cops may be, Buchanan could've avoided all of this had he just left when asked to. By trying to be a tough guy, he got himself in hot water – and embarrassed the U FAMILY we all love so much.
… a question for the Miami fans quick to defend Buchanan and even quicker to should about dirty Miami cops — if Ramon had indeed signed with Florida and got into an altercation like this at a local Gainesville watering hole, how many of you would TRULY be blaming law enforcement over the athlete?
One of our made a boneheaded mistake and it's something fans have to deal with.
Very fair question. All Miami fans would blame the player. Let me ask you a follow up, how many Florida fans would want the player kicked off the team?
BZCanes here-
I'm not going to defend #45, but I will say that kicking him off the team is the easy way out.
Young men deserve second chances in most instances, and when I see a story about a college kid acting like an ass on spring break. I get it.
Is it embarrassing for the player, the University, and our fans…Yes.
Is it something that Golden can use as a valuable teaching lesson…yes.
If what has been written is true then Ramon obviously has an issue with alcohol.
I've been there..spring ball is starting, you've been pumping iron all offseason, you feel great physically, and now you get some free time. You get drunk and what comes out of your mouth is more than liquid courage. It's stupidity.
That said–it's not an offense that should eliminate this young man's career.
He's never been in trouble before. He's put 3 years into this program…and at the first sign of trouble we should kick him off the team to set an example?
I say that's BS, and again…the easy way out.
Great coaches go beyond X's and O's and they help their players become successfull men and women.
Punish #45, let the process play out, and help the kid become a better person.
If Golden does that then #45 will owe his coach and the program his complete effort for the next 2 years.
And maybe, just maybe learn a valuable lesson, become a better man, and still fulfill his dream of playing for the U.
People make mistakes, especially college kids on spring break that feel 10 ft tall and bullett proof.
That doesn't mean their actions are completely indicative of their true character.
That doesn't mean they don't deserve a second chance.
I'm not excusing his behavior, or making excuses regarding the circumstances (spring break, drunk, etc.)
If what was in the report is true it's indefensible.
But that doesn't mean we should just say thanks for committing to our program..but you messed up now you have to go.
Get the kid some help (if needed) punish him, and help him grow up.
I'm frankly ashamed that people want the kid gone. I don't want to relive the 80s. But I sure as hell don't want to throw people aside who have dedicated themselves to our team and program.
That would be a travesty in my opinion.
Donte stallworth killed a guy, this is small potatoes.
Is he suspended indefinately or has he been kicked off the team?
Being suspended indefinately is not the end of the world.
Sept. 2009 – LaGarette Blount is suspended indefinately by Oregon.
I would say things worked out pretty well for him.
I wasnt there so I dont know what went down. I'll see how it plays out.
Although…….
ESPN and Heather Dinch have already passed their judgment and convicted cookie.
All Canes….regarding your question about this happening in Gainesville – would it have even gotten this far in Gainesville? I would bet a lot of stuff like this happens in Gainesville and gets swept under the rug and it's the one's they can't sweep that we end up hearing about.
Punish him but don't kick him off the team. We all make mistakes and we all hope for that second chance. He deserves a second chance like everyone else. Not to make light of his actions but let's make him out to be a repeat criminal or even a criminal. He acted foolish and disorderly. Should he be punished yes. Should he never play football for the U? No. If this was a pattern of behavior during his time at the U then yes kick him off. But it's his first incident and it would be unjust to remove him from the team. It was said much more eloquently than myself by other users but let's not make an example of someone who has been a model student up to that point. Measured punishments and learning lessons should be made from this and other students that have remained model students and citizens. Leave the "making an example of" students for those that are consistent problems or that commit more serious offenses. Punish Ramon but don't make an example of him. I guarantee you he has already learned his lesson and will never do this or anything like it again.
I think kicking him off the team is a bit severe. I would give him a multiple game suspension and make him go to some type of alcohol program since he's obviously a mean drunk type.
-Columbus Cane
First, I really appreciate the tack that this blog took. Unlike Hurricanes Sports Nation, which seems intent on celebrating thug behavior and 'having the back' of a guy charged with felonious conduct, this blog took the approach of "Wait and see. If he did it, he's out. If not, work with him to salvage this." Absolute correct judgment there.
Second, if he did do it, there is no such thing as 'he's a kid, it was a mistake, give him a second chance…' When you are an adult and are given the privilege of playing football for Miami and getting a very expensive private university education thrown in for free, you HAVE to be an adult and take the responsibility of earning those gifts every day. You don't go sleazing around a bar until drunk, attack the police, spit and claim you're immune from the law because of who you are. That betrays your colossal arrogance, selfishness and thuggishness. If he did that, he oughta be gone before the sound dies.
Third, to all the "All cops are dirty' crowd, get a life. Being a policeman in 2011 is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Departments are incredibly sensitive to public integrity issues and, having most of them accredited now, means they will face losing massive lawsuits (and possible even federal money) if they tolerate abuse, lying or inventing probable cause. No dept. will tolerate that for long simply because they can't, either budgetary or socially with the community. Yes there are a few bad cops, but the report said Buchanan was sitting in the place's Security office, and it sounds like there may have been multiple witnesses to his conduct. Several cops and bar employees are not going to conspire in a lie just to take down some football player. Please. You may hate the cops that made the arrest, but assuming they are lying and a drunk, aggressive football player is telling the truth is not credible.
Fourth, Allcanes hit the home run here. If Buchanan was Gator, this board would be on fire with "Fry him! He's a thug! UF is the new Thug U!" The UM program is more important than one player, save the program's rep and send this kid packing. He'll survive.
I'm sure the Texas Longhorns or the Gators would welcome a drunken street thug to their programs, they seem to make a habit of it. Let's NOT see that happen to UM today.