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The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

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  • Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

    http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/...ulting-officer

    Patriots' Alfonzo Dennard convicted


    LINCOLN, Neb. -- New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was convicted Wednesday of assaulting a police officer in Lincoln, Neb., last year.

    A jury found Dennard guilty of the felony charge and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest but acquitted the former Nebraska standout of third-degree assault against another man, Lancaster County attorney Joe Kelly said.

    Dennard faces up to five years in prison for the officer assault and up to a year for resisting arrest, Kelly said. His sentencing hearing is April 11.


    Mike Reiss has the Patriots blanketed for ESPNBoston.com. Check in for constantly updated coverage. Blog

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    Kelly said he did not yet know whether his office would urge the judge to sentence Dennard to prison time.

    Dennard was arrested just after 2 a.m. on April 21 outside a bar in Lincoln. A police report said officers outside the bar witnessed a verbal altercation between Dennard and another person that appeared to be escalating before other people separated the two.

    The officers approached the group and told Dennard twice he "needed to leave the area," according to a police affidavit.

    The affidavit said Dennard was walking away when an officer saw him punch another man.

    Officer Ben Kopsa then ran up to Dennard, told the football player he was under arrest and tried to handcuff him. Officers said Dennard pulled away, then punched Kopsa in the face.

    During his trial, Dennard acknowledged he may have resisted arrest, but denied punching the officer.

    The fight occurred five days before the 2012 NFL draft. Dennard was the 2011 Big Ten defensive back of the year and had been projected to be a second- or third-round pick before his arrest. The Patriots took Dennard in the seventh round, and he is coming off his rookie season.

    Dennard remains free on bond, said his attorney, Terry Dougherty of Lincoln.

    "We're disappointed that he was convicted, but that's the jury's verdict," Dougherty said. "Now we need to turn our attention to the sentencing phase of the trial."

  • #2
    Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

    We always knew Patriots dbs were dirty

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

      Got a good laugh at the Raiders DB mugshot this morning.

      https://mobile.twitter.com/cottovic/...19012209811458

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

        http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/...days-jail-2014

        Pats' Alfonzo Dennard sentenced

        New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was sentenced on Thursday to 30 days in jail beginning on March 1, 2014, on charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest during an April 2012 incident.


        Dennard also will get 24 months of probation for each charge to be served concurrently and 100 hours of community service.

        The judge in the Lincoln, Neb., courtroom also said she would consider motions to change the terms of the probation, including possibly to suspend the jail time, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

        The 23-year-old faced a maximum of six years in prison stemming from the charges. As a result of his sentencing, Dennard will not miss any time during the NFL's season.

        A jury in February found Dennard guilty of the felony charge and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. The former Nebraska player was acquitted of third-degree assault against another man.

        Dennard was arrested just after 2 a.m. on April 21, 2012 outside a bar in Lincoln. A police report said Dennard struck an officer after the officer ordered him to leave the area after an altercation with another man.

        The incident took place in the days leading up to the 2012 NFL draft, dropping Dennard's stock significantly. He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round, eventually becoming a starter for the team.

        Dennard was apologetic during his court appearance. Both Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Nebraska coach Bo Pelini wrote letters on Dennard's behalf for the judge to consider.

        Because of both the length and the start date of Dennard's jail time, he won't miss any games, training camp or organized offseason team activities next year. From a football perspective, that was very good news, as he became a starter during his rookie season and the team's secondary improved with both Dennard and Aqib Talib shoring up the cornerback position. While spending a month in jail is likely to impact his offseason conditioning, Dennard will have time to work his way back into shape upon his release.

        As far as the cornerback position is concerned, although Dennard's on-field availability is not affected, the Patriots could still stand to add an impact player in the draft. The team was able to retain both Talib and Kyle Arrington this offseason, but cornerback is an area the Patriots have been working to improve in recent seasons.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

          http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...serve-35-days/



          Patriots’ Alfonzo Dennard reports to jail, expected to serve 35 days


          Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard reported to jail this morning and is scheduled to stay there for 35 days.

          Dennard was sentenced to 60 days in jail after first being convicted of a felony for punching a police officer and then violating his probation by drinking and driving. But the Lincoln Journal Star reports that Dennard is likely to stay at the Lancaster County Adult Detention Facility for 35 days, after credit for good behavior and three days served.

          Just days before the Patriots selected him in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL draft, Dennard was arrested for hitting a cop, and a year later he was convicted of felony assault. In that case, a judge gave him two years’ probation and 30 days in jail, which were suspended until after the football season.

          The judge later doubled the jail time after ruling that Dennard violated his probation when he was pulled over and accused of driving drunk. In that case, Dennard eventually pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of refusal to submit to a chemical test. For that incident, Dennard was given a $500 fine, and his driver’s license was revoked for 60 days

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

            http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-days-in-jail/

            Patriots’ Alfonzo Dennard released after 35 days in jail


            Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was released from jail on Friday, 35 days after he began his sentence.

            Dennard was sentenced to 60 days after he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence, which constituted a violation of his probation for punching a police officer. He was credited for good behavior while in jail, which is why he was released early.

            The judge in both cases allowed Dennard to wait until after the football season to serve his sentence, so Dennard did not miss any games and is now free to join the Patriots’ offseason workouts when they begin on April 21.

            Dennard will likely compete with Brandon Browner to be the Patriots’ No. 2 cornerback, across the field from Darrelle Revis. However, New England may not have either of them at the start of the season: Browner has already been suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season, and it’s possible that the NFL could suspend Dennard as well.

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