LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Hundreds of people file through the doors of the 23rd Street Brewery for lunch and dinner every day, most bound together by their unrequited love of ales, IPAs and the Kansas Jayhawks.
A glance at the menu confirms they’re among friends: There’s the “Crimson Phog,” an Irish-style red ale, and “Rock Chalk Raspberry Wheat,” while food choices include the “Danny Manning Marsala Chicken” and “The Bill Self,” a mac-and-cheese dish topped with buffalo chicken tenders.
But as the Jayhawks prepare to play in nearby Kansas City on Thursday for a spot in the Elite Eight, not every conversation has to do with how the team has played.
Many have to do with the behavior of players around campus, particularly star freshman Josh Jackson, who is likely in his final games before making NBA millions. Not only is Jackson a crucial part of a team with national title aspirations, he has also been part of three off-court issues that haunt the Jayhawks – including one case where he threatened to beat a woman who tossed a drink a teammate, then caused more than $1,000 in damage to her car.
The legal woes have caused a divide among one of the most tightknit fan bases in college sports, one side choosing unequivocally to support Jayhawks coach Bill Self and his players, the other struggling reconcile the unsavory headlines with the success.