Or, well, at least about what I expected.
The suspensions were handed out for Wide Receiver Tyler Boyd and Defensive End Rori Blair. Both were dealing with DUI charges from the spring and summer.
In a press release sent out after 5 pm today (can’t really wait until Friday with training camp about to start), Pitt announced the consequences beyond whatever internal discipline they faced.
PITTSBURGH—Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi announced that junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd and sophomore defensive lineman Rori Blair will be suspended for the Panthers’ Sept. 5 season opener against Youngstown State.
The one-game disciplinary suspensions were the result of the players being involved in separate offseason legal situations involving motor vehicles.
“In addition to their game suspensions, Tyler and Rori have been, and will continue to be, subject to internal discipline and accountability,” Narduzzi said. “The situations were very disappointing and both young men have expressed their regret. Our expectation is that each of them, as well as our entire team, will learn from their mistakes and be better for it moving forward.”
The Panthers open training camp on Monday, Aug. 10.
Both players will still be able to participate in training camp. They just will not be playing in front of a home crowd until October 10.
I don’t have a problem with these suspensions. I might have considered a two-game suspension for Blair given the circumstances of his DUI, but I’m not exactly seeing it as a slap on the wrist.
For Boyd, the missed game means missing a chance to get off to a great start statistically and may make it a little more difficult to reach a 1000 receiving yards for a third straight year.
As for Blair, it may ultimately cost him a chance to be a starter. Shakir Soto did not distinguish himself last year. Ejuan Price is an unfortunate injury question mark. So the opportunity was there. Coming out of spring practice, Blair wasn’t designated as a starter, but most expected he would be the likely choice. Now he may find it a little harder.
I didn’t care for SP at all and am very glad he’s gone. He wasn’t doing anything for the program. BUt still, coaches recruit and coach and players play and fans either attend or don’t. It isn’t all on an AD’s back… any AD at any school.
Tony77 – We’ll see as the season progresses but I agree that 1 or 2 games over .500 is about what we’ll see.
To shift gears. Tony, if you disagree with my stance on discipline then why haven’t you, and every other commenter who were disagreeing with me for all that time, write in and roundly criticize Pat Narduzzi for his decisions? The weird thing is that some of the same fans who didn’t want suspensions then turned around and thought Blair should have been given a harsher punishment than Boyd.
This is what I mean when I write that Pitt fans are looking at this new HC and bending over backwards to give him every benefit of every doubt.
We’ll agree to disagree but this issue is one that I was very involved in for 30+ years and I can tell you that firm, not strong or heavy handed, but firm, fair and consistent discipline done both before an incident happens and then afterward is almost always effective in a ‘team’ environment.
If you’ll remember I said that these young men had to have some sort of suspension, even if is was not starting, sitting out the 1st part of the game or missing the whole game. I didn’t care but only that it was firmly enforced in some manner.
You need support to win and win big. You can be average or slightly above average but the challenge of a bad front office is to big a hill to climb.
Coaching, recruiting, and playing all are affected by the cult of the organization. A bad working culture lead to a bad product on the field or at least a damaged product.
Seriously, name one poorly run organization that wins despite the front office?
