The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

February 7, 2008

Three WVU players dismissed

By The Associated Press

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia coach Bill Stewart Thursday dismissed three football players charged with felony possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver.

Linebacker John Holmes, defensive lineman James Ingram and running back Ed Collington were kicked off for violating team rules, Stewart said in a prepared statement. None were starters.

“These three players are dismissed from all aspects of the Mountaineer football family,” Stewart said.

They will, however, retain their scholarships through the end of the school year, pending the legal process.

It’s a strong statement about how Stewart plans to run his program and a departure from how former coach Rich Rodriguez handled his teams.

The Monongalia County sheriff’s department says the three were acting suspiciously as they left an apartment complex Tuesday night and were later pulled over for speeding. After smelling a strong odor of marijuana, deputies searched the vehicle and found individually wrapped bags of marijuana.

After Ingram allegedly told a deputy he had illegal drugs at his apartment, investigators found marijuana and bags used to package the drug in a bedroom.

Holmes, a junior from Rockledge, Fla., played in all 13 games last season. He recorded 39 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery.

Collington played in seven games last season. The junior from Pittsburgh rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

Ingram, a sophomore from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, played in five games and recorded two tackles.

On Wednesday, Stewart stressed character when he announced the signing of two dozen recruits. He pointed to former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Ross, a friend and mentor who instilled in him to find players with solid reputations.

Stewart talked Wednesday about expectations off the field, particularly when West Virginia beat Oklahoma 48-28 in the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. Stewart then was the interim coach after Rodriguez left for Michigan and was named head coach the day after the game.

“We were in the desert, had casinos over here, dance halls over there. Pockets full of money,” Stewart said. “We had 125 young men. Eight days, seven nights — one curfew bust.

“Coaching did not win the Fiesta Bowl. Chemistry, teammates, character, doing things the right way, being accountable, being responsible. That’s the reason we won the Fiesta Bowl.”

Rodriguez’s discipline during his tenure from 2001-07 was light compared to Stewart’s, even when it involved future NFL bad boys Chris Henry and Adam “Pacman” Jones.

Jones pleaded guilty as a sophomore in 2003 to a misdemeanor battery charge resulting from a bar fight and received a year’s probation in court. He was never suspended from the team.

Henry received relatively light discipline three times during his final season in 2004. He didn’t start one game for previous on-the-field antics, sat out the first half of another game for receiving two unsportsmanslike conduct penalties in an earlier contest, and was suspended for the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Text Only
Sports
  • Big12logo.jpg Getting to know the Big 12 Conference

    As West Virginia University moves into the Big 12 Conference, here's one place to come to find out about all of the Mountaineers new league opponents.

    April 18, 2012 1 Photo

  • WVU releases 2012 football schedule

    West Virginia University has released its football schedule for 2012.

    WVU announced Tuesday it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the conference power Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July in time for the fall football season.
     

    February 14, 2012

  • WVU settles Big East lawsuit

    West Virginia University announced Tuesday it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July.
    Athletic Director Oliver Luck said the terms of the deal were confidential and WVU wouldn’t release details. But Luck said no state, taxpayer, tuition or other academic dollars will be used in the settlement.

    February 14, 2012

  • Shannon leads Woodrow win; Weiford 3 keys Spartans

    February 14, 2012

  • Woodrow holds off Huntington

     It took Woodrow Wilson’s boys basketball team nearly three quarters to figure out that the backside lob was open in Huntington High’s zone.

    January 10, 2012

  • MSU hosts Rio Grande

    For the first time since 1995, Mountain State stands a little past the half-way point at the season with five losses.

    January 10, 2012

  • OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - WVU to join Big 12 Conference

    The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012.  The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.

    October 28, 2011

  • Friday update: Big East notified WVU leaving for Big 12

    The Big East says it has been notified that West Virginia is leaving the conference and joining the Big 12.

    October 28, 2011

  • Cardinals force Game 7 in World Series

    After one of the greatest games in baseball history, a 10-9, 11-inning victory over Texas in Game 6 in which the Cardinals were twice within one strike of elimination.

    October 28, 2011

  • Schiano sings WVU’s praises

    It hasn’t been the year that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano envisioned.
    Not close.

    December 1, 2010