Auburn Players Who Were Arrested Will Not Face Suspension
Regardless of what we think, coach Malzahn made a decision that seems best suited for the team, and hopefully the four players he pardoned will not make a mistake like this again.
Sorry, Alabama fans. The four Auburn players who were arrested for Marijuana possession (Jeremiah Dinson, Ryan Davis, Carlton Davis, and Byron Cowart) will not miss any game time during the 2016 season.
The four Tigers were arrested in April for marijuana possession.
Gus Malzahn said that the four players have been “punished”, in a report from AL.com.
He went on to describe the situation at SEC Media Day, located at the Wynfrey hotel, in Hoover, Ala.:
"“Those four young men made a mistake; we punished them and they won’t miss any time. That’s behind us. They’re four fine young men, they made a mistake and I’m confident that they won’t make any more.”"
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Malzahn did not discuss the exact punishment served by the four sophomores, however it is important to note that former players arrested for similar charges under Malzahn have served suspensions.
So why didn’t Malzahn suspend these guys?
Well, Malzahn was pretty blunt stating that they won’t serve a suspension because he “thinks it was the right thing to do”.
Perhaps, Malzahn considered the fact that the Tigers open up their season with Clemson, who suffered a 45-40 loss to Alabama in the National Championship game last season. But Malzahn said that the Clemson game had “zero impact” on his decision to allow the quartet to play. Yeah, okay.
Let’s note that Carlton Davis was an All-SEC freshman honoree last season, having totaled 56 tackles, and three interceptions. Would the punishment be a suspension for someone who didn’t make as much of an impact last season? Most likely, but Malzahn has loosened the reigns in terms of punishments during his tenure as Auburn’s head coach (the last severe punishment was the dismissal of former safety, Demetruce McNeal, in 2013).
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Cowart, Dinson, and Ryan Davis all have limited bodies of work in comparison Carlton Davis. But, all three, especially Cowart, will see more playing time this season.
Regardless of what we think, coach Malzahn made a decision that seems best suited for the team, and hopefully the four players he pardoned will not make a mistake like this again.