FanHouse Lance Smith

Last season Wisconsin running back Lance Smith was not allowed to travel with the team on road trips thanks to pleading guilty to charges of battery and disorderly conduct after getting into a fight with his girlfriend. As long as he followed the rules of the of the first-offenders program he was put into afterwards, Smith was going to avoid any jail time and could continue playing for the Badgers.

Then a month ago it was announced that Bret Bielema had suspended Smith when he failed to live up to the requirements of the program, and on Monday Bielema decided he didn't want to deal with Smith's antics any longer. Which is why Smith was kicked off the team.

Coach Bret Bielema, who suspended Smith last month, announced the dismissal after the team's first practice of the season.

What Smith did to be removed from the first-offender program has not been disclosed.

Smith's case will now be sent back to court for sentencing on battery and disorderly conduct charges.

Smith rushed for 429 yards in seven games for the Badgers last season, averaging six yards per carry, and scored three touchdowns. Still, with P.J. Hill, Zach Brown, and John Clay also on the depth chart, I don't think Smith's absence will hurt the Badgers too much this season.

As for Lance, well, I hope he has a good lawyer.

You may remember the tale of Wisconsin running back Lance Smith. In it we heard of Smith's frugal outlook towards dating, and of his penchant for women's shoes. Particularly the part where he hits his girlfriend, takes some money from her, and then for good measure takes her shoes. And they say romance is dead. Not in Madison, Wisconsin it isn't.

Smith was suspended indefinitely by the team, and this morning before their first practice, Smith was re-instated by Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez.

Sophomore Lance Smith released a statement through the university apologizing for his actions during a July 14 dispute in which he allegedly pushed his girlfriend.

"I first want to apologize to my girlfriend, my coaches, my teammates, our fans and the university community," Smith said. "My actions did not measure up to the standards we have here at Wisconsin."

Smith then thanked God that he's still in college, and not in the NFL, where Roger Goodell would have had him shot by now.

Though just because Smith is back on the field, it doesn't mean he's free of other consequences. He's still got to deal with that whole battery, theft, and false imprisonment deal. If Smith is found guilty on all charges he will face up to a total of a year in prison, and $11,000 in fines.

That's a whole lot of shoes.

Mofo will steal your stilettos. FOR REALZ.

File under "extraordinarily petty acts via which to endanger your football career":

According to Madison Police Department spokesman Joel DeSpain, sometime after midnight Saturday, Smith and his girlfriend got into a dispute over how much money she owed him for cab fare -- he said $10, she claimed she owed him $5.

Said dispute careened from apartment from which girlfriend was not permitted to leave -- "false imprisonment" charge -- to gas station at which girlfriend was to make change from a twenty and was shoved to the ground -- "battery" charge -- by Smith, who took the twenty -- "robbery" charge -- and her shoes -- "robbery" again --

Wait. Shoes? WTF? Lance Smith stole his girlfriend's shoes? I... wow. Imaginations run wild in this fertile soil.

Anyway, standard stuff: Smith is fat Wisconsin running back PJ Hill's primary backup. He's been suspended indefinitely until investigation completed and nothing is likely to come of this save a token suspension and hopefully a widely-held, dubiously-sourced opinion that Lance Smith has a freaky shoe fetish. Which he totally does.