Pittsburgh Panthers suspend Tyler Boyd, Rori Blair for opener
The Pittsburgh Panthers suspended receiver Tyler Boyd and defensive lineman Rori Blair for the season opener on September 5.
The Pittsburgh Panthers will be shorthanded heading into the 2015 season. Late Monday evening, it was announced that wide receiver Tyler Boyd and defensive lineman Rori Blair will be suspended for the September 5 opener against Youngstown State because of separate DUI incidents that occurred this offseason.
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Boyd was reinstated by the program after his court date in which he was placed on probation after the DUI charge on July 16. Blair was stopped on March 15 for going 117 MPH in a 55 MPH zone as well as testing positive for cannabinoids.
The loss of these two players for the opener will certainly have an impact. Boyd was one of the most explosive receivers in the ACC in 2014, ranking third in the conference with 1,278 receiving yards and tied for second overall with eight touchdown catches. Blair made his presence known on the defensive end in 2014 appearing in 12 games and tallying 14 tackles while registering five sacks, the sacks ranking tops on the team.
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Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi said to Robby Kalland of CBSSports that the two players would continue to receive additional discipline that will be handled within the program.
“In addition to their game suspensions, Tyler and Rori have been, and will continue to be, subject to internal discipline and accountability,” said Narduzzi. “The situations were very disappointing and both young men have expressed their regret. Our expectation is that each of them, as well as our entire team, will learn from their mistakes and be better for it moving forward.”
Losing Boyd and Blair for the opener takes two high-impact players off the field. It will be interesting to see how the Panthers fill the void left by the absence of these two players and what adjustments they will make to compensate for the losses.
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