2 Illinois linebackers arrested for allegedly stealing deer statue, putting it on their roof

This may be the most offseason headline you’ll read all summer, folks. Two Illinois football players, linebackers James Marchese and Drew Murtaugh, were arrested earlier this month for allegedly stealing a deer sculpture and taking it home with them to put on their rooftop. The sculpture, which is titled “Startled,” is located in the Champaign Park District, which is in the heart of Champaign, where the university is located.

According to the News-Gazette, the Champaign Park District took to Facebook to ask if anyone knew of the whereabouts of the sculpture:

On May 5, Champaign police received a tip that it was on the roof of the apartment complex where the two men lived, just across the street from the park to the west.

Officers went there that day and spoke to several residents, including Marchese and Murtaugh.

Marchese told police that he and Murtaugh were walking home April 29 when they saw the statue lying on the ground and took it to the roof of their building. Murtaugh gave the same basic statement, according to a police report.

Park District Director Joe DeLuce said the donated sculpture, valued at $5,000, has since been reinstalled in the park.

The newspaper adds that each of the players, who have been charged with a single count of theft between $500 and $10,000, are due in court June 12. After the sculpture was retrieved, an artist touched it up some and made it more secure.

OK so obviously stealing a deer statue that’s part of a public park isn’t right, but to be fair it was on the ground, so maybe they thought it was left there unintentionally. And my first thought would absolutely be to put it on my roof if I found a random deer sculpture, because I’m artsy and stuff.

I’m obviously not condoning a crime here, but man, this is some extremely #B1G and offseason stuff. Murtaugh is a redshirt sophomore, and Marchese is a junior who’s played in 19 games for the Fighting Illini. UI’s sports information director Kent Brown told the newspaper that head coach Lovie Smith is aware of the incident, but no action has been taken at this time.