Missouri Football: Maty Mauk dismissal the right move by Barry Odom
The Missouri football will no longer be embarrassed by the actions of former starting quarterback Maty Mauk who was justifiably dismissed after his third suspension since September.
Maty Mauk was dismissed by Missouri Tigers head coach Barry Odom on Thursday for violating team rules. Mauk was suspended indefinitely earlier in the week after video surfaced of a person believed to be Mauk snorting a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine.
Related Story: Top 10 classes headed into National Signing Day
His failure to live up to expectations is what first-year head coach Barry Odom said was the reason for his permanent dismissal and the video while concerning is from a “long time ago.”
Mauk who went 17-5 as a starter, including 3-1 last year ran out of chances to represent the Missouri Tigers on the football field and that was the message Odom delivered to Mauk when he took over for the retiring Gary Pinkel. It was a message that didn’t sink in for Mauk.
"“I met with Maty Mauk this morning and informed him of my decision to permanently dismiss him from the football program,” Odom said in a statement. “When I met with Maty back in December, I wanted to give him an opportunity for a fresh start, but I also made it very clear what our expectations would be moving forward.“After gathering information and speaking with a number of individuals this week, it is clear Maty has failed to live up to those expectations by violating team rules in recent weeks.”“We believe it is in his best interest to focus on his personal life and his academic career at this time,” Odom said Thursday. “We remain committed to helping him work through the challenges and earn his degree. Our hope is that he will grow from this and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”"
With Mauk out of the picture for good now Missouri can focus on Drew Lock commanding the offense after his baptism by fire as a freshman last year. Lock went 2-6 in starts in place of Mauk and completed 49 percent of his passes for 1,332 yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Related Story: 30 Best College Football Quarterbacks of All-Time
There’s no doubt Missouri was a better football team with Mauk on it but Odom made the right move ridding the roster of a player who clearly didn’t want to live up to the standards required to represent the Missouri football team.