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At least one of the players has been exonerated three times, and this action by the university comes weeks after a criminal investigation resulted in no arrests or charges. http://www.sbnation.com/college-footbal ... liday-bowlThe list of suspended players, via the Star Tribune, includes Ray Buford, Carlton Djam, KiAnte Hardin, Dior Johnson, Tamarion Johnson, Antonio Shenault, Kobe McCrary, Mark Williams, Seth Green, and Antoine Winfield Jr.
In a statement obtained by the paper, Minnesota said, “Due to privacy restrictions relating to student educational data, there is nothing further the University can share.”
Winfield is a starting safety on Minnesota’s defense. Hardin, Shenault, and Buford are cornerbacks in the Gophers’ rotation.
Hardin, Buford, and both Johnsons were suspended once this season, for a “violation of team rules” in September, according to the Star Tribune. That stemmed from an investigation of an alleged sexual assault incident on Sept. 2 and lasted the better part of a month, ending when Hennepin County, Minn., declined to press charges against the players.
Those four players and Djam had restraining orders that kept them from the Gophers’ stadium, where an alleged victim “is part of the Gophers game day operations,” according to the paper.
Ray Buford’s father, Ray, Buford Sr., spoke with Fox News about the school’s decision to suspend his son.
"We were totally blindsided,” Buford said. “He was exonerated 3 times over, so how? How? What was different?”
"If you can be tried for the same thing -- this is like the 4th different entity -- the more you go at something, the better the success rate is,” Buford said.
Buford Sr. provided more detail in speaking with the Pioneer Press, citing one of the players’ fathers:
Buford Sr., a 17-year law enforcement official in Michigan, told the Pioneer Press that the suspensions are tied to an early-morning incident on Sept. 2 where four players — Buford, Hardin, Dior Johnson and Tamarion Johnson — were “mentioned” in a Minneapolis Police report that included a woman’s allegations of sexual assault. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office declined Oct. 3 to press charges, citing insufficient evidence.
Buford said the new suspensions are the result an investigation by the University’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) and were relayed at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Buford said “some” of the players were recommended for expulsion from the university, and he added that will be met with appeals.
“The closer you were to the lady, the harsher the recommendation,” Buford said.
Per the Star Tribune, five of the 10 suspended football players now face expulsion from school, according to the players’ attorney, Lee Hutton. Four different players are facing a full year suspension, while another could get probation from the Sept. 2 incident. The university discipline comes weeks after a criminal investigation resulted in no arrests or charges.
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