Housewright cited for aggravated DUI

[coloradocat]

I want to how many of you that on your wife's tell them

You posted a tough riddle but I think I solved it. If you keep the first two words and then alternate keeping two and dropping two words you get "I want many of your wife's"

That's what I got too

[coloradocat]

Does anyone know the latest trial dates for these two? Best I can find is WMG is set for trial in "October" and I haven't seen anything on Housewright. Just wondering when we may know the outcomes of these things....Also, what are the odds Housewright and Mix are suspended for the first game of the season? Precedent was set with Garza so I'm thinking it'll probably happen but be a surprise before Gold Rush.

I'd be shocked if Gold Rush is impacted. Vigen would have said something on Monday. This isn't something to just slip in on game day.

[91catAlum]

ENOUGH! You'll know, when it's done. Man I hate some of the people who post on this site. Get a LIFE! Pack of B-I-T-C-H-E-S!

Its a discussion board, dude. If you dont want to see people discussing things related to MSU football then GTFO.

[CelticCat]

ENOUGH! You'll know, when it's done. Man I hate some of the people who post on this site. Get a LIFE! Pack of B-I-T-C-H-E-S!

Nobody made you click in this thread. You are obviously interested in something if you did.

[kmax]

Alright, time to ease up folks. A statement was put out. Obviously not going to get anything more officially from MSU until things are settled. Feel free to discuss but calling other posters out for wondering/musing and attacking others that feel differently about this isn't productive. Discuss, debate, learn that's what this board is for. Quit trying to tell others how they should do those things and being upset if they feel differently than you do.

[Rich K]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

[CelticCat]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

[Rich K]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

Not sure what is normal but it is appropriate as an institution notto publicly comment negatively about a currently innocent person. There are other things involved in most cases including family members. For instance, the last guy I helped through something like this was also taking care of some family issues that had he marched into court and plead guilty would have caused other difficulties. Looking bad in the eyes of a rival fan base is not an excuse to do the wrong thing.

[catatac]

I just think this goes way above Vigen. I've heard people say Choate fired coaches all the time, why won't Vigen? The difference is that Choate fired for performance, which is easier to defend than firing for character, or something not job related. I do think Garza COULD have been fired for performance, but I also think his sub-par performance was defensible due to various players not being around last year (Andersen, Hardy, Benson, Williams, Ortt, etc).

Vigen probably has firing authority for performance and maybe for some philosophical differences related to football. Vigen likely does not have firing authority for personal matters, and I think a DUI that's under investigation TECHNICALLY could classify as a personal matter. We're innocent until proven guilty, and while I believe Garza is guilty as hell, we technically don't know that he is. I've said on here that I'd be upset if he was retained, and I still feel the same way. He was hammered and flying down Main Street on one of the busiest nights of the year in the whole state. I don't see how he gets out of that conviction. That's indefensible. I won't ever defend Garza for what happened that night, but for now I will defend MSU and Vigen, because I think their hands are tied.

Moving forward, MSU (and maybe the MUS) might need to consider some provisions in coaches' contracts to fire or suspend without pay for something nebulous like "conduct unbecoming of a coach" or "conduct detrimental to the team and/or University". Even an accusation could possibly be grounds for termination.

The Housewright/Mix situation is different, IMO. It seems to me that Housewright could point to the fact that there's an expectation for him to attend these social events in an official capacity, and that there's an unspoken expectation for him to imbibe with donors and supporters. MSU didn't put a plan in place for him to travel safely from that function, and it seems to me he could put this back on the University. I don't like it, but it seems like an angle he could use. In that case, they have to handle this lightly too.

MSU is a university that has already lost a high-profile wrongful termination lawsuit, and in this very program. We may want a pound of flesh, but firing people ain't what it used to be!

I don’t really care to enter into this discussion but one thing you said I have to comment on, “MSU didn’t put a plan in place for him to travel safely from that function…”

Bozeman might be the easiest town in the state to get an Uber. I wonder if we would make the same excuse for a player? Well, we didn’t find him a ride home from the party so it must be our fault that he drove intoxicated.

I really don’t have an opinion when it comes to the 2nd chance vs pound of flesh argument. I’m torn both directions but there should be absolutely zero excuses for these two.

I'm a big personal responsibility guy. I don't think House has any excuse, but it does seem like something to me that he could argue. I think it's different from a player at a party. It's not part of a player's contract to be at parties. I don't think it's any excuse for drinking and driving, but I do think it ought to be something MSU looks at. If any organization has an expectation that its employees attend and participate in social functions where alcohol is present, it would be nice if they had some guard rails in place. If I was an attorney, I'd argue that. I don't like it, but I think it's an argument they could make.

As for second chances, I'm a big second chance guy. I tend to be a little more willing to forgive Housewright for his DUI, though I wouldn't mind if MSU had and used a zero tolerance policy for that. In general though, there better be something in place contractually that says a DUI charge is grounds for termination if we want Garza gone at this point. And I wish there had been something in his contract that said even a charge is instant termination. He has already used his second chance...as well as his third. He should be done, in my book.

I don't agree with anything mandating termination for a charge. Perhaps there should be strict rules like this in certain cases for specific people with history (Garza), but definitely not for House or anyone else that simply gets charged with something. People get falsely charged and illegally arrested all the time.

[91catAlum]

Not sure if this is worth noting but the players seem to like Garza based on the interviews (the one with Askelson in particular from yesterday). Couple that with the fact that Cruzado/Costello are player/student-first administrators might play into things.

That's a good point in WMG's favor, but this would be his 2nd DUI in 4 years (and 3rd lifetime) as you know... it was a concern to some when he was initially hired here (enough so that Vigen addressed it to the press when he announced WMG was the new DC) and he didn't make it 1 year before getting charged with another one. There must have been some sort of stipulation when he was hired that he keep his nose clean, and if found guilty here, he failed at that. If he's found guilty, MSU needs to move on from him as a coach.

I feel for the guy, but at what point is enough, enough? Hypothetical: say he is found guilty and MSU keeps him as DC, then we win the natty this year and he gets another DUI a week later. Would that be enough to let him go? why or why not? Say we kept him and then he then got another DUI in 2025, would that be enough?
Not trying to be a jerk here, honest question: where do you draw the line if not now (assuming he's found guilty)? 1 more? 2 more?

I haven’t been following his case very closely. So I don’t have a lot of background on it to throw out any strong opinions. Has he settled out of court? I ask because I don’t see where he was found guilty and it’s been around nine months since he was arrested.

He wasn't found guilty yet. That's why I said "IF found guilty" like 3 times in my post.

Everyone has a strong opinion about it I guess. We'll see how it plays out.

[Justwinbaby]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

It's most certainly not normal for a D1 football team to extend the employment of coordinators involved in criminal activities.

Was that even a serious question?

Go cats!

[bobcatbob]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

It's most certainly not normal for a D1 football team to extend the employment of coordinators involved in criminal activities.

Was that even a serious question?

Go cats!

The Griz troll again!

[Justwinbaby]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

It's most certainly not normal for a D1 football team to extend the employment of coordinators involved in criminal activities.

Was that even a serious question?

Go cats!

The Griz troll again!

Huh? Do you disagree with what I said? Hard to have a conversation here. Why?

[seataccat]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

It's most certainly not normal for a D1 football team to extend the employment of coordinators involved in criminal activities.

Was that even a serious question?

Go cats!

The Griz troll again!

Huh? Do you disagree with what I said? Hard to have a conversation here. Why?

I'm smelling the old grizinwashington clutching his pearls. It's cute that you're so butt hurt about what's going on in Bozeman these days.

[wbtfg]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

It's most certainly not normal for a D1 football team to extend the employment of coordinators involved in criminal activities.

Was that even a serious question?

Go cats!

The Griz troll again!

Huh? Do you disagree with what I said? Hard to have a conversation here. Why?

I'm smelling the old grizinwashington clutching his pearls. It's cute that you're so butt hurt about what's going on in Bozeman these days.

Is this the griz fan who keeps making new user names? This whole schtick is kind of funny, but mostly sad.

[onceacat]

I just think this goes way above Vigen. I've heard people say Choate fired coaches all the time, why won't Vigen? The difference is that Choate fired for performance, which is easier to defend than firing for character, or something not job related. I do think Garza COULD have been fired for performance, but I also think his sub-par performance was defensible due to various players not being around last year (Andersen, Hardy, Benson, Williams, Ortt, etc).

Vigen probably has firing authority for performance and maybe for some philosophical differences related to football. Vigen likely does not have firing authority for personal matters, and I think a DUI that's under investigation TECHNICALLY could classify as a personal matter. We're innocent until proven guilty, and while I believe Garza is guilty as hell, we technically don't know that he is. I've said on here that I'd be upset if he was retained, and I still feel the same way. He was hammered and flying down Main Street on one of the busiest nights of the year in the whole state. I don't see how he gets out of that conviction. That's indefensible. I won't ever defend Garza for what happened that night, but for now I will defend MSU and Vigen, because I think their hands are tied.

Moving forward, MSU (and maybe the MUS) might need to consider some provisions in coaches' contracts to fire or suspend without pay for something nebulous like "conduct unbecoming of a coach" or "conduct detrimental to the team and/or University". Even an accusation could possibly be grounds for termination.

The Housewright/Mix situation is different, IMO. It seems to me that Housewright could point to the fact that there's an expectation for him to attend these social events in an official capacity, and that there's an unspoken expectation for him to imbibe with donors and supporters. MSU didn't put a plan in place for him to travel safely from that function, and it seems to me he could put this back on the University. I don't like it, but it seems like an angle he could use. In that case, they have to handle this lightly too.

MSU is a university that has already lost a high-profile wrongful termination lawsuit, and in this very program. We may want a pound of flesh, but firing people ain't what it used to be!

I don’t really care to enter into this discussion but one thing you said I have to comment on, “MSU didn’t put a plan in place for him to travel safely from that function…”

Bozeman might be the easiest town in the state to get an Uber. I wonder if we would make the same excuse for a player? Well, we didn’t find him a ride home from the party so it must be our fault that he drove intoxicated.

I really don’t have an opinion when it comes to the 2nd chance vs pound of flesh argument. I’m torn both directions but there should be absolutely zero excuses for these two.

I'm a big personal responsibility guy. I don't think House has any excuse, but it does seem like something to me that he could argue. I think it's different from a player at a party. It's not part of a player's contract to be at parties. I don't think it's any excuse for drinking and driving, but I do think it ought to be something MSU looks at. If any organization has an expectation that its employees attend and participate in social functions where alcohol is present, it would be nice if they had some guard rails in place. If I was an attorney, I'd argue that. I don't like it, but I think it's an argument they could make.

As for second chances, I'm a big second chance guy. I tend to be a little more willing to forgive Housewright for his DUI, though I wouldn't mind if MSU had and used a zero tolerance policy for that. In general though, there better be something in place contractually that says a DUI charge is grounds for termination if we want Garza gone at this point. And I wish there had been something in his contract that said even a charge is instant termination. He has already used his second chance...as well as his third. He should be done, in my book.

I don't agree with anything mandating termination for a charge. Perhaps there should be strict rules like this in certain cases for specific people with history (Garza), but definitely not for House or anyone else that simply gets charged with something. People get falsely charged and illegally arrested all the time.

Do people get falsely charged with DUIs all the time? I mean, yeah there are a lot of things that are pretty nuanced. But I dont think driving 60 down Main Street (or whatever it was) and blowing a breathalyzer are typically among those.

I know with 100% certainty that leaving a State issued vehicle in a ditch isn't something thats falsely applied very often.

IMO for both these guys, the DUI isn't the issue. The flagrant disregard for public safety (in Garzas case) and leaving the scene of a crash (in House's) are both far more than enough to warrant immediate termination. If there's a DUI IN ADDITION to the flagrant violations of MSU/State of MT policy, thats just an aggravating factor.

[cat4lyf]

Coach V issued the statement. We should not ask too many questions and not dwell too much. Let's Go Cats!

[Justwinbaby]

The amount of time this is taking is not abnormal or surprising. Good lawyers will stretch the process out and give a judge something to differentiate between his client and others in similar situations. Moving these guys directly to trial is neither in their best interest nor societies best interests.

I don't think the court process is abnormal, the question remains though is how MSU handling it normal?

Ah well it's football time, and there will be no new news on this for a few months I suspect so I'm gonna dip out, I've said my peace. Go Cats!

It's most certainly not normal for a D1 football team to extend the employment of coordinators involved in criminal activities.

Was that even a serious question?

Go cats!

The Griz troll again!

Huh? Do you disagree with what I said? Hard to have a conversation here. Why?

I'm smelling the old grizinwashington clutching his pearls. It's cute that you're so butt hurt about what's going on in Bozeman these days.

You also disagree with what I posted? Why?

[Hawks86]

Bumping this up to the top of the page is not going to get the trials here any quicker.

[MSU01]

Bumping this up to the top of the page is not going to get the trials here any quicker.

The Griz fan posting with multiple accounts who's the one that keeps bumping this thread doesn't care about that...