Posted on 12/22/2007 2:36:24 PM PST by The Pack Knight
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Thirty-six Florida State players won't be going to the Dec. 31 Music City Bowl against Kentucky because of an academic cheating scandal, other violations of team rules or injuries.
Linebacker Dekoda Watson, cornerback Patrick Robinson, who had six interceptions, and three top defensive tackles were among the players sidelined either as a result of the ongoing investigation into an academic cheating scandal at the school or some other violation of team rules.
Bobby Bowden and Florida State will be without 34 players at the Music City Bowl. "It is very important that the media make clear that those missing the bowl trip are not included because of either injury or for a violation of team policy," associate athletic director Rob Wilson said in a statement accompanying the travel list. "It would be irresponsible to imply or state that any or all of the student-athletes will miss the trip for one particular reason."
The school announced earlier this week that 25 of its players were included in its ongoing investigation of academic wrongdoing by the athletes. It didn't identify which students.
A violation of team rules could range from poor class attendance to a run-in with the law or failing a drug test, among many other things.
The Florida State roster was so thinned by the academic scandal that the team had room for 17 players on the traveling party who are either redshirt freshmen or athletes who suffered season-ending or career-ending injuries this season. Only 43 scholarship players area available to coach Bobby Bowden for the game.
Junior quarterback Xavier Lee, who started three games for the Seminoles, was among offensive players not traveling. The offensive line was also hit hard with tight ends Caz Piurowski and Charlie Graham, offensive tackle Damon Rose and guard Jackie Claude not making the trip.
The absence of defensive tackles Letroy Guion, Budd Thacker and Paul Griffin, linebacker Marcus Ball and defensive ends Neefy Moffett and Justin Mincey could lead to a big day for Kentucky quarterback Andre' Woodson.
The team's top two tacklers - linebackers Derek Nicholson and Geno Hayes - will play.
And while Florida State usually has a couple of casualties after the first semester, never has a Bowden-coached team limped off to postseason play without this many players.
"You have 22 positions out there and some you'd be more concerned about than others," Bowden said following Friday's practice. "I think we've gotten everything we could out of it."
The Seminoles, who will match 7-5 season records with Kentucky, will have most of their key skill players. Quarterback Drew Weatherford, tailback-receiver Preston Parker and wide receiver Greg Carr were healthy and unscathed by the sanctions.
Thirteen of the names missing from the travel list had started games this season for Florida State. Eleven of the players not traveling were non-scholarship athletes.
Meanwhile, former Florida State athletic director David Hart Jr. rebutted part of Florida State President T.K. Wetherell's statement Friday that could have implied that the scandal led to Hart's leaving the university a year before his contract expired.
"There's no connection there," Hart said Saturday. "I can assure you that my separation from Florida State had absolutely nothing to do with this current review of academic misconduct. To even suggest otherwise would be irresponsible."
Maybe in the general undergraduate population, but the football team clips along at a 51 percent grad rate (which is 10 points higher than my Minnesota Gophers, who also managed to win 6 fewer games than the Noles this year).
Yep.......yours is to be expected as young as Billy the Kid’s team is, however Billy G has had a terrible run of bad luck injury wise up here. That, plus the fact that he inherited a soft team that is not very talented puts the triple whammy on us.
I get so tired of hearing Dickie V (well, not now!) whine about how Tubby was “run out of town”, when anyone can look at our roster and realize how bare he left the cupboard.
So, do tell........Tebow IS going pro soon..........right? It is not going to be fun facing him/them in the East next 2 years.
We got the SEC covered, Free Shoes U is going down.
Go Big Blue!
It's great to be a Florida Gator!
What do you think the suspensions are about? It is doing the right thing for the right reason, regardless of the cost. That IS Bobby Bowden's value system. Your lack of understanding (whether its intentional or just ignorance) is radiant here, and you sound like a jerk, too.
Yeah, how's that Tom O'Brien thing working out for you this post-season?
I have to agree with you. Though it appears that there are many here who just hate either the ‘Noles or BB. I guess 15 straight years in the final top 5 and 2 National Championships will do that, though.
(Oh, were you serious???)
It’s his first season. So what?
Yep, Tebow, Harvin, Moody, are going to present a nightmare for SEC defenses next year.
Our student athletes must compete four years of intense studies.....advanced calculus, graduate level physics, electrical engineering, nuclear medicine, Aztec history, ancient Hindu literature...
No athlete graduates without a 3.5 in all of these core classes.
This is FSU and we make students before athletes.
“It was much better in my football days at U of Miami.”
The times they are a-changing.
;-)
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