UPDATE (3:35p ET): The Mac-centric site CultofMac.com reported last Thursday that Phil Knight gave 550 laptops at a cost of $1M to Oregon athletes that were specially engraved to prevent theft.

Engraver Joe Mansfield:

The 550 laptops were gifted to the University of Oregon by Nike (Phil Knight).

I pitched the idea of branding the laptops with laser engraving both for aesthetic and security reasons. The laptops have a unique identifier number engraved on the underside for inventory purposes.

Mind-boggling irony given what UO athletes Masoli and Embry stand accused of today.

Lindsay Schnell of the PORTLAND OREGONIAN confirms this afternoon that University of Oregon starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who has served jail time in the past for admitted armed robberies, has been accused of theft in a Univ. of Oregon fraternity house:

The Eugene Police Department confirmed this morning that its officers are investigating an alleged theft, and the student who filed the report has told The Oregonian that the men he accuses in it are University of Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and wide receiver Garrett Embry.

Fraternity member Max Wolfard filed a police report alleging that the players took two MacBook Pro computers valued at $2,000 apiece and a $900 guitar from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house at 812 E. 14th Ave. in Eugene early Sunday.

Wolfard was quoted by the Oregonian about the incident.

Read more…

Winston Ross of the EUGENE REGISTER-GUARD reports today:

University of Oregon football placekicker Rob Beard was hospitalized in critical condition early Sunday morning after he took a beating on the streets of Eugene, according to police.

The 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Fullerton, Calif., was at a gathering of between 20 and 40 people at 12:31 a.m. Sunday when police got a 911 call reporting a fight.

At one point, Beard stepped in to help his friend, Mike Bradley Bowlin, 18, a fellow placekicker involved in the fight, Kletzok said. Beard wound up on the ground, getting kicked by several people until he was unconscious.

Megan Higgens of KMTR-TV in Eugene reported around 1:30pm ET today, “UO kicker Rob Beard upgraded to fair condition. Moved to the ICU.”

Police reportedly have good leads on the suspected attacker.

Police are searching for a male in a red sweatshirt who may have left the scene in a vehicle with Washington license plates, Kletzok said.

Anyone with information about the fight was asked to call 541-682-8888.

In what may or may not be an unrelated story, Ross also reports today,

A University of Oregon student has accused two of the school’s football players of stealing several items from a campus fraternity early Sunday morning, UO Athletic Department spokesman Dave Williford confirmed Sunday.

Williford said a university communications office representative contacted Eugene Police Department officials on Sunday about the accusation, but hadn’t heard back, which is why Williford said he considers the claim to be “unsubstantiated.”

“At this point, we’re just waiting to see if anything comes of it,” Williford said

Police apparently took fingerprints at the scene but have declined to publicly announce any suspects.

Higgens though reports, “Jeremiah Masoli named in Eugene theft report but police say he’s not a suspect.”

Read more…