With the 2017 NC State football season set to begin, five players have been dismissed and two booted from the team.
The college football offseason has not been boring. Seven Florida players will miss the first game, Pitt players have been dismissed and suspended, and the crazy legal carousel at Baylor. Now, several NC State football players have been disciplined due to offseason antics.
As I have observed before, testosterone and too much free time lead to bad decisions. The NC State football team is the latest to dismiss and suspend key players after a series of NCAA infractions. The team dismissed two players and suspended three after an NCAA investigation found that the players had attended a party in July where both alcohol and marijuana were found.
In a statement to ESPN, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren stated that freshmen wide receiver Antoine Thompson and defensive end Kevince Brown have been kicked off the team. Freshmen linebacker Isaiah Moore, running back Erin Collins and defensive end Xavier Lyas have been suspended for violation of the student-athlete code of conduct.
The investigation was instigated due to allegations of sexual assault that occurred after the July 22 party. However, the university clarified that the disciplinary actions against the players were not due to the sexual assault charges. They did state that additional charges could be levied against the students as the investigation continues.
According to ESPN, university police gave statements that all five players were at the party, which occurred on-campus in one of the players’ rooms. Several women attended the party, but three women later reported assaults.
In addition, ESPN further reported that the police incident reports stated that one case is being investigated as second-degree forcible rape, another as second-degree rape and a third as sexual battery. The students could not only face charges from the University, but criminal charges could also be pending.
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The school made it clear that while the players would be afforded due process, they would be suspended from the team if sexual misconduct charges came to light. We will keep our eye on the investigation and let you know more as it unfolds.