Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
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Wise Owl
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/08/18/oklahoma.state.dimissal.ap/index.html
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
Posted: Thursday August 18, 2005 1:10AM; Updated: Thursday August 18, 2005 1:10AM
PONCA CITY, Okla. (AP) – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has dismissed second-team defensive tackle Walter Thomas for not adhering to team rules, the ninth player the coach has cut or suspended since taking over as head coach in January.
Gundy announced Tuesday that Thomas was no longer part of the team and did not elaborate. Teammates said he is academically ineligible and that he will stay in school and try to regain his eligibility and rejoin the team next spring.
Gundy also said offensive lineman Corey Curtis has decided not to play football.
One of the nine players, reserve linebacker Jeremy Nethon, returned as a walk-on after being suspended.
Reasons for the dismissals vary from low grades to failure to meet team requirements to off-the-field issues.
"I'm actually pretty soft,'' Gundy said. "I'm easy to get along with as long as they're paying the price.''
Several players said the day Gundy replaced Les Miles as head coach he established guidelines that players attend class, be on time for team meetings, adhere to workout routines, represent the program well and play hard.
Besides Thomas and Nethon, Gundy has cut or suspended Brad Girtman, a potential defensive line starter; Prentiss Elliot, second leading receiver and a standout on kick returns; Andrew Alexander, candidate to start at cornerback; William Bell, projected as defensive end reserve; Doug Bond, offensive lineman; Seymore Shaw, who compiled 1,238 career rushing yards; and Thomas Wright, projected starter at free safety.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Wise Owl
Member since 2004
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
Posted
Member since 2005
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
GO POKES!!! GOD BLESS!!!
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VIP DONOR
Member since 2005
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2140289
I wonder how many of these guys were recruited by Florida State also? They would fit in real well.
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Wise Owl
Member since 2005
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
Posted
Wise Owl
Member since 2003
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
Posted
First Flight
Member since 2005
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
(U-WIRE) STILLWATER, Okla. – In a preseason peppered with player dismissals and controversy, the Oklahoma State University football team received another blow as senior fullback Shawn Willis was arrested Sunday morning on charges of first-degree burglary.
According to the Tulsa World, the Stillwater Police Department received a 911 phone call from Willis' former girlfriend at about 5:30 a.m., on Sunday, after the player allegedly beat the doors, windows and sides of her trailer home. Willis, 22, was then reported to threaten bodily harm to a guest of his ex-girlfriend, force his way into the trailer and damage a bedroom door.
A spokesman for the Payne County Sheriff's Office told the Tulsa World that Willis was jailed around 8 a.m. on Sunday, but was released on bail by 11 a.m.
Willis, listed at 6-foot-1 and 260 pounds, has not yet been released from Oklahoma State's roster, though the Tulsa World reported Monday that he did not show up to the Cowboys' practice or meetings Sunday evening. Head coach Mike Gundy refused to comment.
"I don't know anything about it," Gundy told World reporters. "All I know is he didn't show up today. I have not seen the young man. I haven't talked to anybody from the police."
In a written statement, the Stillwater Police Department wrote, "Mr. Willis was cooperative with officers through their contact with him."
Sunday's incident was not his first run-in with the Stillwater, Okla., police, according to documents provided by the Oklahoma State Courts Network, Willis has previously received a charge for a seatbelt violation on Jan. 21, 2004; inattentive driving on March 3, 2005; and a DUI on May 5, 2005.
Willis' most recent arrest comes just weeks after Oklahoma State's media day, when he emphasized his role as a team leader for a young Cowboy team.
"My whole outlook on this year, being a senior and everything, is basically going out there making sure I do everything I can to help this team," Willis said in an Aug. 6 interview. "All these coaches have got high expectations for me, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make them happy."
After a junior season highlighted by 12 starts, 175 yards off 39 carries and four touchdowns, Willis was expected to fill a hole beside redshirt freshman Mike Hamilton and sophomore Calvin Roberts. With competition in the backfield, Willis' playing time in offensive coordinator Larry Fedora's single-back offense would have likely been limited, though Willis emphasized his most important service to the Cowboys came in sharing his knowledge with younger teammates.
"Coach was trying to teach them how to do the steps on a certain play, and they weren't understanding the way coach was saying," Willis said. "I went and talked to them a little about it, and they got it. It just takes the little stuff like that to go through the whole team on offense and defense, and we just get better."
Even as a team leader and mentor, Willis' future with the Cowboys might be in jeopardy as Gundy has already dismissed eight players for violating team policies. In a recent conversation with the Tulsa World, however, Willis said he is ready to accept whatever Gundy may decide.
"We're all grown men now," Willis said. "We've got to accept responsibility for our actions."
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First Flight
Member since 2005
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
Okla. St. coach dismisses ninth player
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