Gig 'em?

From today's Dallas Morning News:


Brown: Off-field issues 'handled internally'
03:50 PM CST on Tuesday, December 20, 2005
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN –
Texas coach Mack Brown said issues surrounding a police investigation into an alleged incident on Dec. 10 involving at least two football players have been “handled internally.”

Brown addressed the investigation for the first time since the Austin Police Department made it public on Friday. The probe appears to be centering around senior cornerback Cedric Griffin and sophomore running back Ramonce Taylor.

Their attorney, Ken Oden, says he’s been told police will not press charges in the matter, which Oden has described as a “testosterone-charged exchange of trash talk” with another group of men on Sixth Street at 3 a.m. on Dec. 10. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

“When we’ve had a very seldom incident come up, we’ve handled it firmly and moved forward,” Brown said. “Obviously we had a few guys who were out later than we would have liked for them to be a couple weeks ago. We’ve dealt with them within our team and we’ve talked to the team about it. The Austin Police Department has got an investigation going on. No one has been charged, and at this point, we’re moving forward.”

Brown said Griffin and Taylor are practicing and are focused as the team prepares to play for the national title against USC on Jan. 4 in the Rose Bowl. Brown described practices Monday and Tuesday as “great.” ...


But wait, there's more...

Attorney: UT's Griffin, Taylor not involved

04:57 AM CST on Monday, December 19, 2005
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – ...Oden said the alleged incident was nothing more than a "testosterone-charged moment of trash talk." Police are investigating whether Griffin was asking people on the street for $5 for pizza and whether a group of men who came across Griffin took offense to it.

Oden, who met with Taylor and his mother, Ramona Clark, on Sunday to help provide more information to the police, said he believes Taylor was nothing more than a bystander in the exchange.

Griffin, a senior defensive back, and Taylor, a sophomore tailback, start for Texas, which will face USC in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 4.

Texas coach Mack Brown said Friday during a news conference, "I've told the players, 'If you get in trouble, you probably won't play.' And what an awful thing for you to make a mistake, a 15-second mistake, and cost yourself a chance to play or win a national title."