Leo Lyons Suspended from Team Mizzou | Stientjes's Blog

When I first heard that Leo Lyons had been suspended, I cringed. Mizzou basketball has never been known as a clean-cut program. I was a student at Mizzou when Anthony Peeler kidnapped and beat up his girlfriend. I was a young alumni when Ricky Clemens did roughly the same thing--only instead of an expulsion his assault earned him a weekend stay at the Chancellor's home and a nice 4-wheeler to ride. (Dark times, indeed.) I could sprinkle in additional stories of stolen calling cards, broken curfews, and street fights outside Lou's Pub. So, when I heard that Leo Lyons was suspended from the team, I naturally thought the worst. When I learned he was suspended for an unpaid traffic violation, I nearly jumped for joy.

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But, now the natural follow-up question must be asked...."Isn't suspension for a traffic violation a little rough?" I know there has to be a balance of discipline on a team, but Leo Lyons' run-in with the law is almost trivial. Kudos to the Columbia police department for not doing favors for the basketball team, but suspension? Last I checked, Mizzou has a good record and an outside shot at an NCAA tourney appearance. Why put our #2 guy on the bench to begin Big 12 play unless he truly deserves it? I just question whether the punishment fit the crime. Perhaps more facts will come to the surface to better explain Mike Anderson's thought process. But his presence will certainly be missed on the floor.

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February 7, 2009 01:29 PM ET

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Mike Anderson is making a point about running a clean program. He's not going to let players do whatever the hell they want to do like Quin Snyder. He's not their buddy, he's their coach and mentor. Mike Anderson has every right to suspend a player who has not always shown the greatest judgement. It's amusing to see a member of the press lamenting putting a guy "on the bench to begin Big 12 play" after the player clearly did something wrong. Probably the same reporter who would vilify Anderson the second that a player did something more serious.