Oklahoma lineman Bledsoe sues NCAA
Oklahoma defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA after being suspended for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs.
According to court documents, a lawsuit filed Aug. 24 in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, asked the NCAA to lift the suspension and restore a year of eligibility. It also seeks reimbursement for court costs and attorney fees.
The lawsuit says Bledsoe ran out of a supplement and took some of a teammate’s supplement last year before submitting to a random NCAA drug test. The NCAA notified Oklahoma that Bledsoe’s sample contained a banned substance called clomiphene. Bledsoe said he was surprised. He appealed, but it was denied.
The sophomore from Lawrence, Kansas, played in six games as a true freshman last season. The suspension cost Bledsoe the final six games of that season and runs through Oct. 5 this season, four games into OU’s schedule.
Michigan defense scores more than allows
On defense, No. 7 Michigan has scored more points than it has given up.
The Wolverines (2-0) have scored three touchdowns on defense, tying Texas for the most in the nation. They have allowed opposing offenses to score just two TDs and a field goal.
“I’m not aware of that, but that’s a good statistic that we’ll try to keep as long as possible,” defensive tackle Maurice Hurst said.
Sun Devils off to slow start
Arizona State has gotten its sixth season under coach Todd Graham off to a shaky start.
The Sun Devils opened with a less-than-stellar win over New Mexico State and followed that up with a bad-in-all-phases home loss to San Diego State.
It’s early in the season, so the Sun Devils still have time to turn things around, but they better do it soon. The schedule gets tougher from here, starting with Saturday’s game at Texas Tech.
“The message is simple: We’ve got to put what’s behind us behind us and do a better job as coaches and players,” said Graham, a former Carl Albert High School and University of Tulsa coach.
Arizona State has struggled, giving up big plays on defense the past two seasons. That’s happening again this season, despite a new defensive coordinator and supposed upgrades.
Unlike the past two seasons, the Sun Devils are struggling to run the ball — thanks in part to injuries — and have been shaky on special teams.
Ole Miss begins hearing
Mississippi’s football program began its hearing in front of the NCAA’s infractions committee panel on Monday, nearly five years after the governing body first launched its investigation.
The Rebels are facing 21 allegations, including 15 that are classified as Level I, which the NCAA deems the most serious. The charges in the wide-ranging case involve academic, recruiting and booster misconduct.
Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork declined to comment after Monday’s meetings.
The school has already self-imposed several penalties, including a postseason ban for this season, three years of probation, scholarship losses and recruiting restrictions. The NCAA could accept the Rebels’ self-imposed penalties or add to them when it reaches a decision, which could be several weeks to months after the hearing ends.
All 21 of the alleged football violations happened under the program’s two previous coaches — Hugh Freeze and Houston Nutt.
Nutt was the Ole Miss coach from 2008 to ‘11 and his staff members are responsible for alleged academic issues, including arranging for fraudulent ACT scores for three prospects.
Freeze and his staff are responsible for the majority of the 21 allegations and the school is facing the charge of lack of institutional control. Ole Miss has acknowledged that it committed some of the violations, but is contesting others, including the institutional control charge.