Virginia board comment accuses the Shocks of cheating

[HockeyShock]

I must have missed it while in Maui, but when did Roy Williams become VCU coach?

Grrr! You beat me to it!

:clap: :wsu_posters: :yahoo: :clap:

[pinstripers]

Nothing surprises me.

[SubGod22]

Are they trying to come up with excuses for losing to us already?

[rjl]

I dont know but it sure pisses me off! Any attorneys out there!

The First Amendment protects this sort of speech. Since Wichita State and coach Marshall are "public figures", the poster really doesn't have to substantiate his/her statements at all. The burden is on WSU and Marshall to prove both the falsity of the claim and that the claimant said it to intentionally harm them, not to mention that harm was actually caused. Hence, a defamation claim is very seldom filed and won by a public figure.

See also: Fox News, Citizens United, etc.

[Flanders]

libel per se n. - broadcast or written publication of a false statement about another which accuses him/her of a crime, immoral acts, inability to perform his/her profession, having a loathsome disease (like syphilis), or dishonesty in business. Such claims are considered so obviously harmful that malice need not be proved to obtain a judgment for "general damages," and not just specific losses.

[Shox21]

In all fairness, I only saw ONE poster on the Virginia board who posted that negative (and untrue) statement -- all the other posts I saw merely discussed the two teams and the upcoming game.

[pinstripers]

Thanks for clearing that up, Coach.