The “Boogie” Situation

The “Boogie” Situation
by Matt Jones @ 8:12 pm. Filed under Blue Blooded Opinions

Today was a travel day for me and when I returned to the Bluegrass state, the world was abuzz. Emails, twitter messages, facebook comments, etc all asking the same question. So what happened with Demarcus Cousins and a South Carolina fan? In case you too missed the excitment of the day, the story boils down to this. A South Carolina student named “Steven” (I love how he refuses to give his last name) told a local South Carolina radio show that Cousins hit him with a “chicken wing” and a “cold cock” after the game last night, as he was storming the court. (You can hear his phone call here. Stephen of course said he did nothing to provoke it, and his story was apparently “verified” by a South Carolina tv reporter, who said he saw the whole thing. The allegations came out today, and the internet was set afire. (a more complete view of the story from the South Carolina side can be read here)

After hearing the story, I started making calls on the UK end and found that no verification could be made. Everyone I spoke with didnt see anything, and Cousins’ placement on the court (far away from the bench and dressing room), made it impossible to tell what happened when the masses swarmed. Then, I was made aware of this ESPN video, which shows the so-called “incident.” Originally I (and others) believed that it was Cousins walking on the top left of the video…but some readers in the comments section suggested (and I think correctly) that it is Patterson. So it might not tell us very much either.




So what are we left with? Well it looks as if we now have a case in which a random South Carolina student and a reporter are making an allegation, with no real proof to back it up. Is it beyond the pale of one’s imagination that Cousins could have hit a guy? I guess not. But in a scene like we had last night, I suspect there is a lot more to the story than originally meets the eye. My guess is that Cousins was approached by a swarm of unruly South Carolina fans, running all around the court and likely occasionally talking trash. In the heat of such a moment, lots of things can happen.

I however dont believe that a “cold cock” took place. Put it this way. If Demarcus Cousins punched you in the face, you would know it. And for some kid to say he got punched and then there to be no proof of that, visual or otherwise, I dont believe it. Could he have pushed him or done something else he shouldnt? Maybe. But “cold cock” a kid and the kid has no harm? Not buying it.

Regardless, the incident is proof that storming the court, while cool to see, is dangerous. That many people running at full steam, interacting with players of the other team is asking for trouble. We might never know what Cousins did or didnt do and even if we find out, we wont know the context (which is crucial). But what we do know is that Kentucky lost, Cousins took it hard and when approached by fans of the other team, something could have happened. Thats why the two lessons I live by, (1) try not to let people’s actions get in your head and (2) dont mess with Demarcus Cousins should be heeded by all parties involved. If they had, this would not be an issue today.

I sent an email to Matt about this. The player in question is Patrick Patterson. I saw it last night and said out loud to look at those guys go after Patterson. Don't believe me? Go to ESPN 360 and move to the 2:14.30 mark and watch. Clearly the player in question has a blue sleeve on. DeMarcus doesn't wear a sleeve.

I hope DeMarcus or Patrick or whoever it was did cold cock the guy. It should be within the rules and law that if after any type of athletic event the field of play gets stormed and a player feels uncomfortable or threatened that they are completely within their rights to do whatever necessary to get to the locker room, including knocking some punk the MOFO out.

I have this DVR'ed and I remember this when the game was live. It is 100% clearly Patterson and he doesn't elbow, punch, or anything else. He kinda pauses and slightly side steps right when Coach O is meeting him and nothing else happens. This is complete bullshit. I have no idea where Cousins is in that mess but if Patterson was the one in question there was absolutely nothing going on there. I remember thinking when it happened live "oh no, i hope nobody shoves a fan that's running over them". And while watching Patterson I thought "man, that guy keeps his cool and just side stepped to get outta the way".

it's really simple-the court is for athletes (players & sometimes cheerleaders), when a mob comes running at you a normal person WILL become defensive and aggressive to protect themselves (this is a survival instinct) and lastly SC WAS FINED FOR RUNNING ONTO THE COURT (THEIR SECOND OFFENSE)....stay of court and no incident

I bet it was Carolina Kat who rushed Patterson.

if cousins punched someone, I have a feeling they would be unconscious for a couple of days and might be able to eat solid foods in about 5 years.