UCLA held a press conference on Wednesday to address the shoplifting incident that resulted in three players being arrested in China last week, and head coach Steve Alford revealed that the freshmen have been suspended indefinitely from the program.
Alford said the amount of games LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill will miss has not been determined.
Steve Alford: Indefinite suspensions for the UCLA three. At some point they may rejoin practices and team meetings, but they'll have to earn their way back.
— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) November 15, 2017
Alford and UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero noted that the three players seemed genuinely remorseful, and it sounds as though they will be back with the team at some point. All three apologized for their actions and thanked U.S. president Donald Trump for his assistance in resolving the matter.
LiAngelo Ball: "I'd like to start off by saying sorry for stealing from the stores in China. I didn't exercise my best judgment and I was wrong for that. … I'm a young man, however, it's not an excuse for making such a stupid decision."
— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) November 15, 2017
Donald Trump gets his thank you from UCLA's Cody Riley: "To President Trump and the United States government, we really appreciate you taking the time on our behalf. We really appreciate you helping us out."
— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) November 15, 2017
Guerrero confirmed that the players stole from three stores and said the charges against against them were dropped.
Shoplifting is a serious offense in China and can result in up to 10 years in prison, so the players were fortunate to have gotten off with a slap on the wrist. LaVar Ball may have tried to downplay his son’s arrest initially, but it would appear UCLA is taking it seriously.
