University of Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly has suspended star QB Jeremiah Masoli for the upcoming football season. He will be eligible for a red shirt year if he chooses and can try to come back in 2011, but he will not play a football game at the University of Oregon in the coming season. Star running back LaMichael James and fellow teammate Rob Beard will be suspended for one game. All will be placed on a plan they must meet in order to be allowed back on the team.
Head Coach Chip Kelly's statement:
Here's a further release from the University of Oregon:
EUGENE – University of Oregon running back LaMichael James and kicker Rob Beard both have been issued a minimum of one-game suspensions by the Ducks’ football head coach Chip Kelly for their roles in incidents that led to their pleas of guilty to charges of harassment
in Lane County Circuit Court.
The suspension would be served during the Ducks’ 2010 season opener vs. New Mexico on Sept. 4, with their return the remainder of the season contingent upon their adherence to a set of standards and procedures that Kelly has outlined between he and the two players.
In addition, Kelly said that junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli would be suspended for the entire 2010 season for his role in an Oregon fraternity house theft that resulted in a guilty plea to misdemeanor burglary 2.
All disciplinary action by Kelly is in addition to punishments handed down by the Lane County judicial system.
Masoli, the Pacific-10 Conference’s 2009 second-team all-league selection, would have entered his senior season next fall but would be eligible to return for a final year of competition in 2011 by utilizing a redshirt year should he meet the requirements handed down by Kelly in a program structured between the two individuals.
“I am extremely disappointed anytime any of our players fall short of our expectations that have been clearly outlined for them in advance on numerous occasions, and this is especially true regarding their roles within the community,” Kelly said. “Their accountability for their actions is paramount and any tainting of the reputation of the University of Oregon and this football program will not be tolerated.
“I have consistently stated that I will weigh every situation on its individual merits and will determine the consequences after carefully reviewing all the facts available to me. Frequently there are variables involved that I am unable to share in regards to the decisions I make that preclude me from discussing individual cases but I want to eliminate any uncertainly that our level of expectations are the same for all our student-athletes regardless of the role they play on this team.”
James, who was named National Freshman Performer of the Year and a third-team All-American after setting a Pacific-10 Conference freshman single-season rushing record with 1,546 yards last fall. Beard served as the Ducks’ kickoff specialist in all 13 games.
Masoli, the 2008 Holiday Bowl offensive MVP, completed 177 of 305 passes in 2009 for 2,147 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also set a school record for most rushing yards by an Oregon quarterback with 668 yards in addition to running for 13 scores.
