Three Pitt football players, including starting running back Ray Graham, will play on Saturday against No. 4 Notre Dame despite being charged with simple assault and conspiracy in connection with an incident last month involving three other students.
Graham, junior wide receiver Devin Street and redshirt freshman defensive back Lafayette Pitts deny they were involved in a confrontation with a student, who told police he was hit in the head by one of the players.
The players were not arrested but have been mailed summonses to appear in Pittsburgh Municipal Court for a preliminary hearing on the charges Jan. 9.
Graham is the Panthers’ leading rusher with 622 yards and seven touchdowns. Street is the team’s leading receiver with 50 catches for 695 yards and four scores. Pitts is also the team’s top kick-returner.
School spokesman E.J. Borghetti said the players have offered to speak with police but have not been questioned or received any court documents.
ISU SUSPENDS WR
Idaho State coach Mike Kramer suspended a player who complained Kramer pushed him to the ground during practice on Oct. 3.
Idaho State officials confirmed Thursday that Kramer suspended wide receiver Derek Graves for violating team rules.
Graves told ESPN he was suspended indefinitely for being late for practice. His attorney, Donald Jackson, said he considers the suspension to be retaliation by Kramer for Graves’ pursuit of criminal charges. He also said his client hasn’t been medically cleared to practice after suffering a neck injury when he was pushed.
ISU suspended Kramer for last weekend’s game at Montana for violating the university’s conduct policy.
The Idaho State Journal reports school officials say it will be up to Kramer whether Graves is allowed back on the team.
MIAMI CONUNDRUM
Miami has the inside track to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division title and the program’s first berth in the league’s championship game, where a spot in the Orange Bowl would be at stake.
Thing is, it’s unclear if the Hurricanes would even accept such a prize.
Being atop the Coastal Division this late in the season is both thrilling and thorny for Miami, which is expected to soon decide whether to self-impose a postseason ban for the second year in a row, a move that would be related to the ongoing NCAA investigation into the Hurricanes’ compliance practices.
Such a decision would be an attempt to lessen the impact of whatever sanctions ultimately get imposed against Miami. Those sanctions are likely to be handed down early next year, based on the expectation that the Hurricanes will receive their notice of allegations – in essence, the end of the investigation phase and start of the penalty phase – from the NCAA in the next few weeks.
“You have to be very careful and think through all the ramifications,” athletic director Blake James said.
The NCAA has long taken into account when schools self-impose penalties prior to any hearings before the committee on infractions.
OSU SCHEDULES SDSU
San Diego State filled the spot on Ohio State’s 2013 schedule left when Vanderbilt backed out of a scheduled game, with the date of home games against Buffalo and Florida A&M moved to accommodate the change.
The Buckeyes will host the Aztecs on Sept. 7.
Ohio State is 3-0 against San Diego State, with all three games played at Ohio Stadium.
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