PJ Hairston Suspended Indefinitely

[moonpie23]

some speculation over on IC as to the person who's name is on the rental of the vehicle....


this is getting more interesting by the minute...

[rsvman]

Oh, that was bad...

But really, this all comes down to someone not really having smarts.
1. He lost his license. Where, how, whatever but he didn't have one. Doesn't sound like it is one of those things were he didn't have it on him, it is that he doesn't have one.
2. He rented a car and didn't have a license. Bad mistake to borrow someone's car if you don't have a license to drive.
3. He had some smack with him, driving a rented car without a license.

Okay, we are getting deep.

4. They had a gun in the car.

Not sure, but this is mistake after mistake, it just seems like the IQ isn't there.

5. He did something stupid to get pulled over. With no license, smack in the car and a gun too.

Something tells me these 5 mistakes are not the only mistakes made here. Yea, I can see where the millions he is going to make playing in the NBA will save him. You just can't out grow stupidity.

Just a couple of clarifications.

He was charged with NOL. Meaning he doesn't have a license. Not the same thing as having been issued a license and then losing it or forgetting to take it with you. (Aside: How do you rent a car without a license?)

He didn't do anything stupid to get pulled over. He got pulled over at a checkpoint. Everybody got pulled over.


The way I see it, somebody rented the car. If that somebody was not PJ or one of his relatives, this could turn into an NCAA investigation as well. I'm not familiar with the gun laws in NC; as I understand it, the laws in Durham are actually different from the laws in Chapel Hill. So the gun charges are completely up in the air at this time. They will have to be able to prove that the gun came from the car that PJ was driving, in the first place. Conceivably, it could've been tossed on the ground by somebody in a different car and not found until PJ's rental car got there. Who knows?

Worst-case scenario for UNC would be a felony charge, which would probably mean PJ's dismissal from the team. Or, an NCAA violation if the car was rented for him by a booster or, worse, a former player or something. That could also result in dismissal.

Best-case scenario is that the 1.5 oz of pot are determined to be 0.5 oz per passenger (thus a misdemeanor), the NOL charge results in community service, the gun is not traced to PJ, and the car was rented in PJ's name with PJ's money. If all that happens, PJ might get a slap on the wrist and not much else.

[MCFinARL]

you can rent a car when you're under 25 now....but not without a driver's license...


this is looking kinda bad....uh...oops...oh it's the heels....no biggie....nothing here...

True, although IIRC it usually costs more to rent a car if you are under 25. Has it been reported that the car was a rental? --Edited to note I see this has been reported.

I rarely comment on this page. I'm a big Duke fan and check this page almost every day. I don't comment much because I've never been a student and I don't live in North Carolina. As a result this page keeps me in the loop. I take offense to the front pages comments that PJ Hairston only is doing what most of his peers already do. I understand the intent is for us not to judge him and I can appreciate that. But it is bull crap to say every college kid smokes pot. I know plenty who make wiser decisions and PJ is held to a higher standard as an athlete on an elite college basketball team.

Pretty sure no one said every college kid smokes pot. But it is common behavior, not extreme or unusual. Obviously, the fact that a behavior is common does not make it okay. There are legitimate arguments to be made about whether athletes should be held to a higher standard, about whether it's ever wise behavior to use a substance that is illegal, and about whether marijuana use presents significant health risks. But even if you don't agree with the front page opinion that Hairston's possession of a small quantity of marijuana isn't a very big deal, I can't see why you would take offense at it--that reaction seems a bit over the top.

The police recovery of a gun outside the car, of course, presents different issues altogether. If the gun was, in fact, chucked by the people in the car before they got to the checkpoint it suggests, at the least, that PJ should, perhaps, have left some of his high school pals behind when he went to college.

[Olympic Fan]

Oh, that was bad...

But really, this all comes down to someone not really having smarts.
1. He lost his license. Where, how, whatever but he didn't have one. Doesn't sound like it is one of those things were he didn't have it on him, it is that he doesn't have one.
2. He rented a car and didn't have a license. Bad mistake to borrow someone's car if you don't have a license to drive.
3. He had some smack with him, driving a rented car without a license.

Okay, we are getting deep.

4. They had a gun in the car.

Not sure, but this is mistake after mistake, it just seems like the IQ isn't there.

5. He did something stupid to get pulled over. With no license, smack in the car and a gun too.

Something tells me these 5 mistakes are not the only mistakes made here. Yea, I can see where the millions he is going to make playing in the NBA will save him. You just can't out grow stupidity.

I believe he was caught at a checkpoint ... which means he didn't necessarily do anything stupid to get pulled over. You can argue that pulling up to a checkpoint in that situation was stupid, but police are usually very aware of people who avoid such checkpoints -- which would be even more stupid than going through one (after dumping the gun -- assuming it was from their car and not somebody else caught in the checkpoint).

Agree with everything else. The possible presence of a gun -- and the fact that he was driving a rental car -- suddenly make this MUCH more suspicious.

It will be very interesting to see who the car is registered to (best case, a close relative ... worst case, an agent or a UNC booster).

[77devil]

It will be very interesting to see who the car is registered to (best case, a close relative ... worst case, an agent or a UNC booster).

Or flip the worst/best cases depending on one's point of view.

[Bluedog]

I believe he was caught at a checkpoint ... which means he didn't necessarily do anything stupid to get pulled over. You can argue that pulling up to a checkpoint in that situation was stupid, but police are usually very aware of people who avoid such checkpoints -- which would be even more stupid than going through one (after dumping the gun -- assuming it was from their car and not somebody else caught in the checkpoint).

JJ tried to avoid a checkpoint and the cops followed him...yeah, you can't just avoid them; they come out of nowhere. I've lived in many major cities, and have only encountered them firsthand in Durham; never seen them anywhere else although perhaps it's common in some other cities.

[Kedsy]

According to Erin Summers's twitter, "Hairston was cited w/ having 9MM handgun, mag w/ 9 rounds of ammo, plastic baggies, 3 cigars & half an ounce of marijuana driving rented SUV. All were in the rented SUV Hairston was driving and are listed on his police report, his only charges were for marijuana and no license."

According to someone at IC, the "two people with PJ both basetball players from Durham: Miykael Faulcon who plays for Elizabeth City State and Carlos Sanford who plays for Union College."

There is conjecture about who rented the vehicle, but nothing substantive enough to quote.

And for the IC gem of the day: Will one of these other two bozos step up and take the rap? PJ will surely get you back if and when he makes it to the league.

Classic fan myopia. Gotta love it.

[millerecu]

That's an ounce and a half of pot. That is a pretty good amount of pot to be driving around with. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gun-fou...58--ncaab.html

[Here is a Turtle]

According to Erin Summers's twitter, "Hairston was cited w/ having 9MM handgun, mag w/ 9 rounds of ammo, plastic baggies, 3 cigars & half an ounce of marijuana driving rented SUV. All were in the rented SUV Hairston was driving and are listed on his police report, his only charges were for marijuana and no license."

According to someone at IC, the "two people with PJ both basetball players from Durham: Miykael Faulcon who plays for Elizabeth City State and Carlos Sanford who plays for Union College."

There is conjecture about who rented the vehicle, but nothing substantive enough to quote.

And for the IC gem of the day: Will one of these other two bozos step up and take the rap? PJ will surely get you back if and when he makes it to the league.

Classic fan myopia. Gotta love it.

Wow. This story gets worse and worse. The big question is when will we know about the vehicle now. Someone will definitely take the rap for PJ though.

[Kedsy]

That's an ounce and a half of pot. That is a pretty good amount of pot to be driving around with. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gun-fou...58--ncaab.html

Not clear whether that 1.5 oz is cumulative for the three guys or what. Early indications are PJ was charged with possessing half an ounce.

[MCFinARL]

According to Erin Summers's twitter, "Hairston was cited w/ having 9MM handgun, mag w/ 9 rounds of ammo, plastic baggies, 3 cigars & half an ounce of marijuana driving rented SUV. All were in the rented SUV Hairston was driving and are listed on his police report, his only charges were for marijuana and no license."

According to someone at IC, the "two people with PJ both basetball players from Durham: Miykael Faulcon who plays for Elizabeth City State and Carlos Sanford who plays for Union College."

There is conjecture about who rented the vehicle, but nothing substantive enough to quote.

And for the IC gem of the day: Will one of these other two bozos step up and take the rap? PJ will surely get you back if and when he makes it to the league.

Classic fan myopia. Gotta love it.

Yes, there were several posters making similar comments on IC yesterday--"what kind of friends are these that they wouldn't say the drugs were theirs," etc. Apparently P.J. Hairston, as a college star and potential NBA player, is somehow worth more than his friends and is entitled to expect them to sacrifice their own reputation/freedom/whatever for him, regardless of relative fault. Just another example of the fawning attitudes that encourage some star athletes to feel entitled and above the rules/law in the first place.

As I write this I realize an earlier post of mine, about how at the least Hairston might have some friends he should have left behind, might be interpreted in a similar way--that is not what I meant at all--only that, trying to interpret events in the most favorable possible way to Hairston, he might be hanging around with old pals who were carrying a gun or otherwise courting trouble.

[FerryFor50]

The picture linked with the AP article is perfect.

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3urhu7/

[Newton_14]

According to Erin Summers's twitter, "Hairston was cited w/ having 9MM handgun, mag w/ 9 rounds of ammo, plastic baggies, 3 cigars & half an ounce of marijuana driving rented SUV. All were in the rented SUV Hairston was driving and are listed on his police report, his only charges were for marijuana and no license."

According to someone at IC, the "two people with PJ both basetball players from Durham: Miykael Faulcon who plays for Elizabeth City State and Carlos Sanford who plays for Union College."

There is conjecture about who rented the vehicle, but nothing substantive enough to quote.

And for the IC gem of the day: Will one of these other two bozos step up and take the rap? PJ will surely get you back if and when he makes it to the league.

Classic fan myopia. Gotta love it.

That is just classic unc fan thinking. Picture of an entire fanbase captured in one simple sentence.

The gun throws several new wrinkles into this. As does the SUV being a rental. Those two things make this a bit more problematic for Ol Roy and UNC. Likelihood is high is comes back unregistered to any of the 3 guys. Only one of them is old enough to legally own and possess a hand gun. Also the gun by itself in the vehicle (not concealed) or the pot by itself are not the problematic. Possessing both at the same time though raises the stakes law-wise. I would be interested to know why the gun part was a "cite" rather than a "charge" unless none of the officers actually saw them toss the gun out of the vehicle.

For those wondering, NC is an "Open Carry" state. A gun owner can legally have a handgun (loaded or unloaded) in his vehicle without a concealed carry permit, as long as the gun is clearly visible in the vehicle. I am not 100% sure on the law if the gun is not owned by one of the persons in the car. Plus this is different because of the fact the gun was tossed prior to the stop.

[Turtleboy]

I have just seen so much of this. The average college kid can "play" with this stuff, no big deal. But it can lead to addiction and there is no good story in that. And for kids who are "athletes and going to make millions" things like drugs become a doom for them. I know many of athletes who made millions but are broke now because of things like this, and they made millions.

First you said that only a few managed to avoid these pitfalls, now you say that you know of many. Is this "many" the same number as "all but a few," and is there a chance in hell you can provide a cite for this? Other than your professed self knowledge, that is. A real, objective, peer reviewed study would be a great place to start, not just a link to a secondary source.

FYI, smack is not marijuana.

[BismarckDuke]

First you said that only a few managed to avoid these pitfalls, now you say that you know of many. Is this "many" the same number as "all but a few," and is there a chance in hell you can provide a cite for this? Other than your professed self knowledge, that is. A real, objective, peer reviewed study would be a great place to start, not just a link to a secondary source.

FYI, smack is not marijuana.

Okay, only a few have avoided it, which means many who have come to it. Same thing, so what is the point Turtleboy?

I'm no expert in drugs, so sorry if smack isn't pot but it still the same, he had drugs with him and did something stupid to draw attention to himself.

I think you are still upset that I think Dukies are smarter than UNC and Maryland students.

[Reilly]

... This could be the beginning of another UNC scandal, like the one that started with Marvin Austin ...

PJ was on his way to The Cheesecake Factory?

[Wander]

Given how often UNC players have missed shots against people from Durham over the past few years, that's probably the safest city to encounter a Carolina guard with a gun #7outof9

[PackMan97]

I'm no expert in drugs, so sorry if smack isn't pot but it still the same, he had drugs with him and did something stupid to draw attention to himself.

He was stopped at a checkpoint and asked for his license. He didn't have one...if you want to call that the "something stupid"...I guess it is.

So much of this story doesn't add up...

1. With no license and being under the age of 21, how could he rent the car?
2. The rental car is reported to be a 2013 Chevy Yukon which stats in the $40k+ range and if an all-wheel drive model could be $60k+.
3. The gun, if traced back to the car will be presumed to be in possession of the driver if one of the other passengers doesn't claim it.
4. 1.52 oz of pot is enough for a felony charge.

I see no good explanation for these events. Most interested to know who rented teh care.

[BD80]

Couple of Qs:

Can PJ still get into the draft this year? Maybe as a "high" riser, or some other exception? Sounds like he is NBA ready: ridin' wit his posse, packin a 9 mil, few bags of weed for the trip ...

Are the Durham police as hospitable to unc students as chapel hill police are to Dukies?

Does PJ still have use of the car so he can get back to Derm and replentish his stash for the weekend?

[MCFinARL]

He was stopped at a checkpoint and asked for his license. He didn't have one...if you want to call that the "something stupid"...I guess it is.

So much of this story doesn't add up...

1. With no license and being under the age of 21, how could he rent the car?
2. The rental car is reported to be a 2013 Chevy Yukon which stats in the $40k+ range and if an all-wheel drive model could be $60k+.
3. The gun, if traced back to the car will be presumed to be in possession of the driver if one of the other passengers doesn't claim it.
4. 1.52 oz of pot is enough for a felony charge.

I see no good explanation for these events. Most interested to know who rented teh care.

This is obviously relevant if we know that the car is leased. But a "rental agreement" could be for a short-term car rental for a day or two, which might be more like a hundred bucks--potentially well within the accumulated spending money of 3 college students.