Watch Duke Superstar Celeste Taylor Get Leveled & Injure Shoulder

[LwrcasefaN]

This wasn't football. And intent may factor into what sort of foul was committed but not the fact that it was a foul. Just because the ball was in the air doesn't make running into another player legal. I saw the replay 6 times. The defender ran into the other player try to intercept a pass. Good try but since you not only hit the other player from behind, it was a hard foul to an extreme.

I understand that some contact of 2 players going for a loose ball is allowed, but only to a degree. I've seen UConn players called for fouls on contact a lot less violent that this example. This was a case of one player running at full speed into another player's back. That she says she was "going for the ball" doesn't excuse what she actually did which was to run into an opponent (from behind) in a reckless manner. Like I said, if she didn't bowl over the other player and got the ball cleanly it would have been a highlight. The margin between hero and goat is narrow.

What makes it 100% legal...injury sustained or not...by BASKETBALL rule is a ...PLAY ON THE BALL. Period. Maybe you should watch it a seventh time. She did not make contact to the back of Celeste. In fact, she was inside of Celeste. NOWHERE in that video does Rice make contact with the back of Celeste. Follow the zero on her back. It's not even close...and it didn't happen. The point of contact is the neck area of Rice and the right arm of Celeste. For me...whether she was successful in stealing the ball or ending up in contact with another player isn't about being a hero or villain. She made a basketball play...and she fouled Celeste in the attempt. Two shots and move on. There was NOTHING malicious or flagrant...despite the outcome. What's your understanding of an individual player's responsibility in going for loose balls? My understanding is...go hard and get there first. Here's the irony for me in all of this. I can go find plenty of examples of offensive players bowling over defenders, causing injuries, yet...no one even thinks of telling them to slow down or be less aggressive because someone might get hurt. And in these cases...aggression is rewarded and the defender collects a foul. Sophie Cunningham and Chelsea Dungey come to mind. I haven't run over that much roadkill.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I think the football example makes sense to an extent, because location of a pass is important too. We hear coaches and commentators talk about the importance of where a pass is. I don't think lwrcaseFaN is saying that a bad pass validates the aggressiveness. The way I took it is that the location of the pass could have put Taylor in a less exposed position to that hit or possibly in a position where she could have seen the defender sooner.

If a QB puts the pass in a location where the receiver has to jump or stretch out, they're vulnerable for a hard hit from a defender. This could be the same with an inbounder not putting the pass in a location where their team mate can catch it cleanly and make a play. It's still a very narrow margin in this case, but the location of a pass can make a huge difference on a play.

Exactly. I think being off balance and the actual fall is what created the injury. If she had run over her...I would agree that it was unnecessary contact and flagrant. You can tell that Rice made contact with the ball because where does it go after the contact? In the direction Rice was headed.