June Jones opted to leave a relatively cushy situation down in Hawai'i to try and resurrect the long-suffering Southern Methodist football team.Suffice it to say, things have not gone as planned in Jones' debut season at SMU. The Mustangs are 1-9 - and now will play their final pair of games minus two of the best receivers in the country after Jones laid the smack down.
Three SMU starters – junior receiver Emmanuel Sanders, sophomore receiver Aldrick Robinson and linebacker Justin Smart – have been suspended for the final two games.No word on exactly what Sanders, Smart and Robinson were guilty of, but none have had any publicized off-the-field trouble this season. Robinson has the fourth-most receiving yards in the nation with 1,047 and Sanders check in at No. 10 with 958.Sanders, Robinson and Smart were suspended under coach June Jones' "three strikes" rule. A player can pick up a strike for missing or being late to practice, team meetings and study halls, among other violations.
SMU doesn't have anything left to play for but pride (the Mustangs close with a game at UTEP, then home vs. Southern Miss), but Jones deserves a round of applause here. It's taking more and more severe circumstances to warrant an in-house suspension in the NCAA football world these days, so Jones' strict adherence to the team rules - especially in the case of his two star players - is a breath of fresh air.
With or without Robinson and Sanders, the Mustangs were looking at a 1-11 finish. But Jones is banking on situations like these making his team better, and certainly more disciplined, down the road.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-29-2008 @ 5:20PM
dw39465 said...
If Jones coaches his team to be dirty players he is doing an excellent job. Thats all they can do. Suck as a football team!!!!!
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