Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will be arraigned this morning on a charge of second-degree burglary in Eugene, Oregon. If he’s convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, which is the maximum sentence for a Class C felony in Oregon.

From SPORTSbyBROOKS.com:

The seriousness of the charge is also hard to believe considering Masoli has faced no punishment from Oregon Coach Chip Kelly, despite the coach’s assurances that he was closely following the matter.

Also charged in the alleged second-degree burglary is former Oregon football player Garrett Embry.

Embry, who didn’t figure to see a lot of playing time in 2010 for the Ducks, was dismissed from the football team by Kelly on Feb. 1. In the official statement about Embry’s release, Kelly claimed that the player had actually been kicked off the team on Jan. 8 for a previous team rules violation.

But after the theft report Ken Goe of the PORTLAND OREGONIAN reported that on Jan. 24, “Oregon officials refused to confirm he (Embry) had been dismissed (from the team).”

If Embry had already been dismissed from the team on Jan. 8, why didn’t Kelly report it then? Meanwhile, starting quarterback Masoli has faced no such penalties since the theft allegation – though both have now been charged with the same crime.

This is certainly a horrible situation for Kelly and the Oregon program. Not only does Masoli (who is a Heisman candidate by the way) face major legal issues, but Kelly will also come under fire if he booted Emrby off the team but not Masoli, who committed the same crime. Everyone knows there’s a huge difference between the way a starting quarterback is treated compared to a backup player, but the media will have a field day with Kelly if he indeed let Masoli off easy because he’s a star.

The entire situation is ugly.

Photo from fOTOGLIF