STARKVILLE — Suspensions for Mississippi State football players are expected to be announced Saturday ahead of the team’s season opener against Louisiana following Friday’s revelations that 10 MSU football players and one men’s basketball player were involved in academic misconduct.
MSU coach Joe Moorhead, who addressed the media Monday for the first time since the suspensions were announced, would not divulge any additional details regarding suspensions for those involved — though it is expected each will be docked eight games.
“Ultimately at the end of the day, you work in a profession where 18-20 year olds are forced to make decisions on a daily basis,” Moorhead said. “And they represent the situation, made a poor choice and had to deal with the consequences.”
Though the suspensions are the most pressing matter, the MSU football program will also have to vacate all eight of its wins from last season, as three of the 10 football players were found to have participated in all 13 games while ineligible in the negotiated resolution between MSU and the NCAA.
This disciplinary action runs in conjunction with the NCAA’s ruling that MSU must vacate all regular season, conference tournament and postseason appearances in which ineligible athletes played.
For more information on the looming suspensions, see Tuesday’s print edition of The Commercial Dispatch.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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