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| Monday, December 18 Report: Jones' suspension not related to probe Associated Press | |||
| MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota's leading tackler, Delvin Jones,
won't play in the Micronpc.com Bowl because he has been suspended
from school for a semester, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press reported
Monday.
University Vice President Tonya Moten Brown confirmed the
suspension to the newspaper but would not specify the reason for
Jones' suspension, citing student privacy statutes.
The suspension does not relate to the school's investigation of
the alleged theft and improper use of a university long-distance
calling card code by players, the newspaper reported, citing
unnamed sources.
Gophers coach Glen Mason said he was not disciplining the
two-year starter, which means the violation is not team-related.
About 20 university students, mostly football players, have been
interviewed in the calling card investigation, the school's general
counsel said.
Not all are suspects, but Mark Rotenberg said Saturday that
"more than a handful" of players apparently were directly
involved in misuse of the calling card code, which allows
university employees to make work-related long-distance telephone
calls.
Rotenberg said he wasn't sure how many of those involved are
football players.
The Golden Gophers leave Friday for Miami, site of the Dec. 28
bowl game. Suspensions from the team and the university are
possible for any players implicated in the case.
Jones, a junior safety, will not play in the game against North
Carolina State because the new semester, in which he will serve the
suspension, begins as soon as the current one ends Dec. 21.
"Technically, the bowl would be played in the second
semester," Moten Brown said. "Obviously, if you're not a student,
you can't participate in intercollegiate athletics."
Mason wouldn't elaborate on Jones' situation following practice
Sunday, and Jones declined an interview.
Jones, who sat out practice Saturday, led the team with 88
tackles this season.
Jones' absence is a blow to a secondary missing cornerback
Willie Middlebrooks to a broken ankle, especially against the
pass-happy attack of North Carolina State. Backup safety Eric Lee
also is unavailable due to injury, and Mason said he will not lift
the redshirt of freshman Dominique Sims. That leaves the starting
job either to Eli Ward, who had eight tackles all season, or Jack
Brewer, who was the Gophers' third-leading receiver this season but
has returned to defense in Jones' absence.
"When you're not having Delvin Jones back there playing with
you, it's going to be a little bit of a distraction for you,"
cornerback Mike Lehan said after Sunday's practice. "It's
definitely a letdown."
The investigation is being conducted by Frank Kara, the athletic
compliance director, who reports to Rotenberg. The results will be
delivered to Rotenberg early this week. He then will issue a report
to Moten Brown, men's athletics director Tom Moe and Mason.
Rotenberg said the university will report the results to the
NCAA, but added it's unlikely there was any violation of NCAA
rules.
The calling card code apparently was taken from an athletics
staff member at one of the university's athletic complexes, making
it a university matter.
"This may well be a violation of the student conduct code and
be subject to university discipline," Rotenberg said. "There
would be a disciplinary hearing process. There also could be other
punishment that comes from the football team's rules and
policies."
Rotenberg said the compliance department is trying to wrap up
the investigation as soon as possible to give Mason, Moe and Brown
time to react.
"We've nailed this thing down pretty thoroughly," Rotenberg
said. "We have all the numbers from where the calls were made and
where they were placed to."
| ALSO SEE
Minnesota investigates alleged phone card theft by football players | ||
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