Tales Of Steez: 5 Jordan Crawford Defining Moments

1.  Jordan Crawford's Academic Ineligibility:

Before heading to Virginia's famous Hargrave Military Academy, Jordan Crawford started his high school career in his hometown of Detroit.  Crawford played for Communication and Media Arts High School where he struggled with his grades and injury.  According to Joe La Pointe of the New York Times:

"He missed most of his senior season of high school after breaking an ankle in the first game. His previous seasons were interrupted because of academic ineligibility.

*LaPointe, Joe. "Spreading The Word About Xavier's Jordan Crawford".  New York Times. 20 March 2010. Online.


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2.  Jordan Crawford Arrested For Stealing A Cell Phone:

After the 2007-08 basketball season, following a scandal with Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson, Jordan Crawford transferred from Indiana University to Xavier.  Per NCAA rules, J-Craw would have to sit out a full season.

Crawford appealed to the NCAA, but he lost and was forced to sit out the 2008-09 season.  Crawford utilized some of the extra time he had by doing something we all have done.  Stealing a cell phone at a mall in Cincinnati, according to Cincinnati.com.


The following is an excerpt from Cincinnati.com writer Shannon Russell* posted on October 20th, 2009.  The "he" is Jordan Crawford and the "Mack" she is referring to is former Xavier coach Chris Mack.

"Last October, he was charged with stealing a $419 cell phone at Kenwood Towne Centre. He completed a diversion program through the courts and Mack said former XU coach Sean Miller handled the matter internally."

Jordan was charged by the State of Ohio with theft*, a first degree misdemeanor, but the charge was dismissed in November of 2009 after Crawford participated in a diversion program.  According to Russell, the matter was dealt with internally by former coach Sean Miller who moved on to Arizona to replace Lute Olson in the 2009 offseason before Mack took over.

Not sure where the writer got the "last October" line from as the court documents suggest he was charged in January of 2009, but that's besides the point (and maybe why the article has disappeared).

*Russell, Shannon. "Crawford eager to play key role for XU". Cincinnati.com. 20 October 2009. Online.
*STATE OF OHIO V. JORDAN CRAWFORD. CASE #C/09/CRB/1448

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3.  Crawford Removed From Starting Lineup Of Crosstown Classic For Disciplinary Reasons:

In 2009, Jordan Crawford's first season of eligibility at Xavier, the guard was scratched from the starting lineup of the team's hyped up "Crosstown Classic", a matchup between Xavier and rival Cincinnati by coach Chris Mack for disciplinary reasons as reported by Joe LaPointe of the New York Times*:

"This season, playing for Chris Mack, his fifth college coach, Crawford did not start against Cincinnati for disciplinary reasons but scored 16 points in an 83-79 double-overtime victory Dec. 13"

As you can tell by recent versions of this matchup (see 2011 brawl here), this is not just a typical rivalry, it is a battle, and a game you do not want to be benched from the starting lineup for.  In fact, Crawford got in a heated shouting match with a Cinci player and was accessed a technical foul in the 2009 version.

According to his coach, Crawford took the event as a learning experience.  From the same New York Times article:

“He got the message that everyone needs to come to practice, work hard and be accountable,” Mack said. “There aren’t any separate rules for one player.”

Did Crawford get the message...let's check out #4


*LaPointe, Joe. "Spreading The Word About Xavier's Jordan Crawford".  New York Times. 20 March 2010. Online.


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4.  Crawford Removed From Starting Lineup For Wizards Team Rule Violation:

Earlier this season (2012-13), Jordan Crawford was removed from the starting lineup once again, this time on the NBA level by Wizards coach Randy Wittman in a December game against the Cavs.  According to a Twitter report by Comcast's Chris Miller, Crawford was late for a shootaround and was benched for violating the team rules.

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5.  Crawford Exhibits Bad Attitude On Wizards Bench:

The final straw of Jordan Crawford's career as a Washington Wizard played itself out in front of all Wizards fans.  Crawford spent his final game for DC on the bench acting like an idiot and abandoning his team, and Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post compiled the actions.

Michael Lee of the Washington Post wrote the following about Crawford on the bench:

"He yawned, cracked a few jokes, and had his embarrassing DNP-CD highlighted when some fans began chanting his name for almost a minute at the end of the third quarter."

Two days later, Crawford was traded to the Boston Celtics.  Good Riddance...