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12 Marshall players suspended

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, ALEX ABRAMS and Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 31, 2001

GAINESVILLE -- Marshall could be without 12 players when the Thundering Herd plays at Florida on Saturday night.

Fourteen Marshall student-athletes, including 12 football players, have been suspended by the NCAA for receiving extra work benefits, the school announced Thursday.

Marshall is appealing.

Dave Wellman, director of communications at Marshall, said the school would not release the names of the suspended players. But Thursday night, Marshall coach Bobby Pruett said "a bunch of them are starters."

Marshall officials said highly-touted quarterback Byron Leftwich, a 3,000-yard passer last season, did not have a summer job last year, and that he is not suspended.

The NCAA violations occurred before February 2000 and the players were suspended. They were reinstated Thursday, with the suspensions as part of the conditions.

Two football players will miss one game, and 10 others will miss three games. Two basketball players will miss 30 percent of the season.

"We're just going to have to play without them," Pruett said. "We'll play with what we've got left.

"This is unfortunate, but I prefer to reserve further comment on this situation until we know the result of our appeal."

Thursday's announcement is not related to a current NCAA investigation into study materials given to several athletes by an assistant professor two summers ago.

TICKETS ON SALE THIS MORNING: A limited number of tickets for Saturday's game go on sale this morning. Qualified UF students who are not season-ticket holders may buy a student priced ticket beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Gate 13 on the east side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The main ticket office located near Gate 1 on the west side of the stadium has a limited number of general public tickets that go on sale at 8:30 a.m. Call 1-800-344-2867 or (352) 375-4683 to order tickets.

FSU receiver Gardner likely out for Duke game

TALLAHASSEE -- Coach Bobby Bowden said he likely would hold wide receiver Talman Gardner out of Saturday's game at Duke, even though Gardner said his sore right shoulder feels better.

"Talman's going to want to play, I know, but our intentions are to hold him out if we can," Bowden said.

Gardner suffered a mild shoulder separation trying to catch a loose ball in practice Wednesday. He missed practice Thursday.

Gardner has been receiving treatment to relieve the pain in his shoulder and said he hopes to play.

"(The shoulder) is feeling a whole lot better than it was yesterday," Gardner said. I'm going to try to play Saturday."

Seniors Atrews Bell and Javon Walker, the only healthy veteran receivers left, will start.

PLAYER MOVES: Redshirt freshman B.J. Ward, the fourth-team safety, will move to wide receiver next week to add depth, Bowden said.

"(Coaches) let me know that they needed some help over there (at receiver), so I just told them that whatever I could do to help, I would," said Ward, 6 feet 3 and 205 pounds.

Wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Robert Morgan suffered season-ending knee injuries. Freshman Willie Reid is out with a broken fibula.

Ward could return to safety in the spring.

SPECIAL-TEAMS NEWS: Walk-on Jessie Stein, from Shore Crest Prep, will kick off against Duke. He was competing with freshman Xavier Beitia, from Tampa Jesuit, for the job. Beitia will attempt the field goals and extra points. Running back Nick Maddox and wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe will return kicks.

PRACTICE IN THE RAIN: Bowden welcomed rain during practice.

"The rain was probably the best thing that could have happened," Bowden said. "I don't think we have practiced in the rain yet this fall. I was hoping the lightning would not come in because we would have gone inside. Thank goodness we got to work with a wet ball because we could get rain up there.

"I think we've done everything we need to do to play the ballgame. "I'd hate to have another day of practice. The kids worked hard and I feel that we are as prepared as we can be."

FSU IN KICKOFF CLASSIC: Florida State and Iowa State will open next season playing in the Eddie Robinson Football Classic at 8 p.m. on Aug. 24. The site is Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

In 1975 Iowa State beat FSU 10-6 in Tallahassee.

FSU also plays 2002 nonconference games against UF, Miami and Louisville.

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