On November 7, 2017, 3 basketball players were arrested in Hangzhou, China for shoplifting a Louis Vuitton store. The three players were LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hall. They were all suspended from the UCLA basketball team for their actions. All three of the basketball players could have faced charges for up to 1-2 years for their actions, but President Trump helped them all out. Trump was on his trip to Asia when this all occurred. Trump then talked to the President of China, Xi Jinping on releasing the three players, and he managed to do that. They are all in the US now and don't face any sentences except for being suspended from the UCLA team for a while. Do you guys think it was just for Trump to intervene and get these players out, or should he have left them there and they could serve out their sentences?
I believe it was just for Trump to intervene, however, I believe these players should face a harsher punishment than just a suspension. While the length of the suspension has not been determined, I'm hoping it is at least the rest of the 2017-2018 college basketball season.
ReplyDeleteI do think that Trump should have intervened. China does not have a great human rights record to begin with. This is not only a much harsher sentence then the players would have faced in other first world countries, but they also probably have faced potential human rights abuses in a Chinese prison as well.
ReplyDeleteAdding on to what Nolan said, I do not believe that they should sit out for the remainder of the 2017-2018 season. Undoubtedly what these players did is unacceptable in every sense, but I feel like as these kids are still 18-19 years old, they are still making mistakes and learning from immature behavior. For misrepresenting their families, their institution, and themselves, they should face a certain punishment given to them by some type of authority like UCLA. It was good that Trump intervened and is letting it be handled within the U.S. where he can have some sort of control over it, but I think that sitting them for the whole season is a bit harsh. I am sure the university and the NCAA will find a way to discipline these athletes in a just way.
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