Vols DT Nelson instigated fight that led to bar brawl

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, one facet of a police report seemingly points the finger of blame at senior defensive tackle Chase Nelson as the person who started a fight that ultimately escalated and ended with two patrons, including an off-duty police officer, hospitalized and two UT players charged for their respective roles.

In a statement given to the Knoxville Police Department, 20-year-old Gary Russell, one of the two hospitalized, claimed that Nelson started a fight with him inside Bar Knoxville.

The fight quickly turned into a brawl that spilled out into the street and resulted in the injuries to the KPD Officer Robert Capouellez, and safety Darren Myles and freshman wide receiver Da'Rick Rodgers facing charges. Myles was subsequently dismissed from the football program.

No charges have been filed for the alleged assaults on either Russell or Capouellez, but the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Nelson, the News Sentinel writes, has been serving an academic suspension since the end of the spring semester and has not taken part in any team activities.

WR Salters leaving Razorbacks football for pro baseball

Razorbacks wide receiver Carlton Salters is leaving the football field to follow his dreams on the baseball diamond. University of Arkansas head football Coach Bobby Petrino made the announcement Monday about Salters, who played in 27 games over his Razorbacks football career. “Carlton has indicated to me he plans to pursue his goal of playing professional baseball,” Petrino said. “I support his decision and want to thank Carlton for his contributions to the Razorback football team. I wish him well as he furthers his career.” Salters had 13 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown. In 2009, he played in eight games and had three catches on the season for 81 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 27.0 yards per catch. As a redshirt sophomore in 2008 he played in 10 games and started against South Carolina. He finished the year with six catches for 66 yards. He saw action in nine games as a redshirt freshman and played on special teams and had four receptions for 38 yards.

Facebook wall gets Gators in secondary hot water

According to the Orlando Sentinel, a Florida assistant coach posted on the Facebook walls of two football recruits, leading to two of four secondary violations the school "committed" between June 1,2009, and June 15 of this year. The Gators were turned into the SEC by an unnamed rival school after an unnamed assistant at the school, who was monitoring the Facebook walls of recruits, noticed the impermissible contact.

In each case, the UF assistant was, the Sentinel writes, reminded of the interpretation regarding permissible electronic contact and was prohibited from written communication in recruiting for a period of two weeks.

Additionally, Florida self-reported violations for "impermissible protective gear" and two assistants called a recruit during the same week. The "punishment" for each was a similar slap on the wrist.

Crimson Tide to repeat, according to composite preseason football poll

Alabama is favored to repeat as national champion in the Press-Register's annual composite preseason college football poll from four magazines: Phil Steele, Athlon's, Sporting News and Lindy's. Alabama got three first-place votes and 98 of a possible 100 points. Oklahoma got the other first-place vote.

Ohio State, which didn't receive a single No. 1 vote but was the No. 2 pick in three of the four magazines, narrowly trailed the Crimson Tide with 95 points and is No. 2 in the preseason compilation. It should be noted that none of the last four preseason compilations has correctly picked the eventual national champion. Last year, Florida was the preseason No. 1. Six SEC teams -- more than any other conference -- are ranked in the top 25: Alabama (1), Florida (4), Arkansas (16), Auburn (19), Georgia (20) and LSU (22). Two of the top six teams in the poll are from non-BCS leagues: No. 3 Boise State of the WAC and No. 6 TCU of the Mountain West. The Big 12 has just three teams ranked among the top 25, but they are all among the top eight, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 8 Texas.

Vols' AD,Hamilton: 'This kind of stuff just tears me up'

Vols' AD, Mike Hamilton today said the Friday bar brawl on the Cumberland Avenue "Strip" and its aftermath, which resulted in a couple of UT football players in jail and others suspended indefinitely, affected him personally. "I was telling Coach Derek Dooley this morning, this kind of stuff just tears me up. Because I know who the lion's share of our students are, what they are doing, and so when we have a setback like this, it's very disturbing personally. Because these are not the kinds of things I stand for personally or things that are part of my value system. So it's difficult to deal with that."

Police officer involved in Vols brawl still in serious condition

An off-duty Knoxville Police Department remains hospitalized due to injuries sustained in a bar fight involving several members of the Tennessee football program, the Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting.

Officer Robert Capouellez was listed in serious condition Saturday night at the UT Medical Center with a head injury. Witnesses told police that Capouellez attempted to break up a fight and was hit in the head and knocked to the ground. At that point, a suspect "kicked the officer several times before fleeing the scene."

Sophomore safety Darren Myles Jr. was arrested for assault, resisting arrest and evading arrest, while freshman wide receiver Da'Rick Rodgers was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Myles was subsequently dismissed from the football program.

Meanwhile, the university is investigating whether UT players received extra benefits in the form of not having to pay a cover charge at Bar Knoxville. The owners of the club indicated in interviews shortly after the incident that players were allowed in without a cover charge, which could be an NCAA violation.

One of the co-owners of the bar disputes that the players were receiving extra benefits, saying that no cover charges applied to some non-athletes as well.

"It's really irritating because they're making us out to be the bad guys," Sandy Morton told the News-Sentinel. "We've got somewhere between 200 and 300 people that we consider VIPs that aren't athletes. All ladies are considered VIPs, which only means they don't have to pay a cover charge.

"The VIP is nothing that has anything to do with UT athletics."

Regardless, Morton said they're "done with" VIP treatment for known athletes.

UGA's Dontavius Jackson, Tavarres King suspended indefinitely

Georgia redshirt sophomore tailback Dontavius Jackson and redshirt sophomore split end Tavarres King have been suspended indefinitely from all team activities by UGA head coach Mark Richt following their arrest early Saturday on alcohol-related charges. In addition, Jackson will serve a minimum six-game suspension while King has been handed a minimum one-game suspension. Information is still being gathered which could lead to additional penalties according to Richt. “I’m disappointed in their decision-making and lack of judgment and they will both pay a stiff price,” said Richt. “All our players need to understand that it’s a privilege to be a Bulldog and their conduct needs to reflect the standards we expect.”

Gator's Urban Meyer turns 46, and is already a Legend

Urban Meyer turned 46 today. The coach is a legend and is only getting started. To date, Meyer is 96-18 as a head coach and has produced five 10-win seasons, two Southeastern Conference titles and, of course, two national championships. Meyer's .851 winning percentage in Gainesville is the best in school history and his .800 winning percent in the SEC tops everyone who spent five or more years in the league.Last December, the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated named Meyer college football's coach of the decade.
How does he stack up against other noteworthy coaches?
So, at age 46, here goes.
-Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden was coaching West Virginia to a 9-3 record and spot in the Peach Bowl. He began a legendary stint at Florida State a season later (1976) and had his only losing season in Tallahassee that fall.
-Paul "Bear" Bryant was in his second season (1959) at Alabama. He had one SEC title to his credit, but that had come at Kentucky in 1950. His 1956 Texas A&M squad went 9-0-1, but no team of his had finished ranked higher than fifth.
-Doug Dickey completed his ninth and final season as Gators coach. He went 4-7, moving his UF record to 58-43-2. Dickey had won two SEC titles -- but both occurred while he was head coach at Tennessee.
-Legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley had won three SEC titles (1966, '68 and' 76). His first and only national title didn't come until 1980, when he was 48. Before turning 46, he was 8-6-1 against Florida.
-Lou Holtz had yet to win a national title and was in his last of seven seasons at Arkansas (1983). A few days before his 46th birthday, he defeated Florida in the now-defunct Bluebonnet Bowl.
-Eddie Robinson, the king of historically black college football, was in his 23rd season as coach at Grambling (1965). He led the program until 1997 and won 408 games.
-Joe Paterno was in his seventh season (1972) at the helm of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Although he already had two unbeaten and untied teams, both finished No. 2 in the AP rankings. Paterno would not win his first national title until he was 56.
-Nick Saban was in his third season as head coach at Michigan State (1997). The Spartans went 7-5 that fall. Up to then, Saban's best season was at Toledo in 1990, when he went 9-2. He also had spent time as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.
-Steve Spurrier had completed only one season (1990) as Gators coach. He went 9-2.
Keith Niebuhr
GatorBait.net Senior Writer

Gamecocks schedule 2013, 2015 home-and-home series with Central Florida

South Carolina has scheduled an out-of-conference series a couple years from now, The State is reporting.

The Gamecocks of the SEC have reached an agreement on a home-and-home series with Central Florida of Conference USA. The Gamecocks will travel to Orlando in September 2013, and the Knights will return the road favor the same month in 2015.

In addition to an extra trip to Florida, South Carolina will also only have to pay $300,000 to UCF for their '15 trip to Columbia, the same amount they will receive for traveling to play the Knights. With prices approaching or exceeding the seven-figure mark for a game against a mid-level school, being able to secure a home-and-home with a minimal payout will be a boon to the school's bottom line.

"It's a good regional matchup and you don't have to pay that $1 million to get someone in," USC associate athletics director Charles Waddell told the paper.

"To get Coach Steve Spurrier back down there other than in Gainesville had some appeal for the people there at Central Florida. Coach was OK with doing the game and it fit with what we were trying to do."

The two schools have faced each other in football three times, with the Gamecocks winning all three. The average margin of victory has been just ten points per game, a relatively small edge considering the fact that all of the contests had the Gamecocks as the home team.

The last time they faced each other was in the opener in 2005, which also happened to be Spurrier's first game as USC's head coach.

UGA football players arrested for alcohol offenses

Two football players for the University of Georgia were jailed early Saturday morning on alcohol-related charges less than a week after an embarrassing drunken driving arrest prompted the university's athletic director to resign. Dontavius Jackson, listed as a sophomore tailback, and sophomore split end Tavarres King were in a Chevrolet Avalanche stopped on a campus road just before 3 a.m., UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said. Jackson, 20, was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and other motor vehicle offenses. King, 19, was charged with underaged possession of alcohol as were two other passengers inside the Chevrolet. A fifth person was allowed to leave without being arrested. Williamson said his officers started following the truck because it failed to move into the left lane while police were conducting an unrelated traffic stop on the same stretch of road. Soon, the police officer following the car heard a radio transmission saying that the Chevrolet was wanted for an earlier hit-and-run accident. Jackson was being held in the Clarke County jail Saturday afternoon and did not return phone and e-mail messages. A phone listing for King, who was released, was unavailable. UGA spokesman Claude Felton said football coach Mark Richt was aware of the arrests and is gathering information about the incident. Felton said he was not expecting any decisions on discipline Saturday.

The arrests came less than a week after UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans resigned following an arrest for drunken driving.

Vols HC...Derek Dooley dismisses Darren Myles

Facing the first major incident since taking over at Tennessee, the first-year coach didn't blink and quickly came to a decision about a handful of players involved in Friday morning's bar brawl. Sophomore safety Darren Myles has been dismissed from the program after his second arrest in three months and sophomore defensive tackle Marlon Walls and sophomore linebacker Greg King were both suspended indefinitely by Dooley, who backed up his dedication to discipline with swift action less than 24 hours after two players were arrested outside Bar Knoxville on Cumberland Avenue. "It is a privilege, not a right, to be a member of the University of Tennessee football team," Dooley said in a statement released by UT. "The most important responsibility of that privilege is to properly represent this institution and our supporters on and off the field. I am disappointed and in many ways embarrassed by the poor judgment displayed on many fronts by several members of our football team last night. "Although we are still gathering all the facts and some legal proceedings will follow, we have taken some initial levels of discipline resulting from my conversations with the student-athletes who were present. Darren Myles has been permanently dismissed from our football program. Marlon Walls and Greg King have been indefinitely suspended." The roles of King and Walls in the incident aren't entirely clear at this point, but Myles was charged with resisting arrest, evading arrest and disorderly conduct by UTPD - the second time he's been picked up by police since the end of spring practice. Myles was one of the stars of Dooley's first 15 practices with the Vols, often leading the secondary through drills and forming a dynamic tandem with safety Janzen Jackson at the back of the defense. But that combination has officially been broken up now. "I am respectful of the process that follows with the local authorities and with our institutional guidelines and leadership," Dooley said. "As I have referenced on many occasions, a change in culture is achieved in time through a combination of education, discipline and support. "We will aggressively continue to build on the many positive changes that have occurred over the last five months to ensure our program is represented with class and dignity."

Bad Times for Vols...one player dismissed, two suspended

The fallout from an early Friday morning bar brawl involving several members of the Tennessee football program continues this evening as head coach Derek Dooley has begun meting out punishment for some involved in the incident.

Sophomore defensive back Darren Myles has been given the heave-ho from the football program, a direct result of both his early-morning arrest and the fact that it's his second arrest in the past three months.

A pair of sophomores, defensive tackle Marlon Walls and linebacker Greg King -- have been suspended indefinitely for their participation in a brawl that ended with two people hospitalized, one of whom was an off-duty police officer.

USC's Mike Garrett apologizes to Florida for allegations of tampering

Southern California athletic director Mike Garrett has sent a letter of apology to the University of Florida and several other schools regarding allegations made by USC that the schools had made impermissible contact with running back Dillon Baxter after the NCAA announced sanctions against the Trojans. ESPN reported last month that a USC compliance official had sent a letter to Pacific 10 Conference officials alleging that Florida, Washington, Oregon, Fresno State and Alabama had contacted Baxter, a freshman who enrolled at USC in January and participated in spring practice. ESPN was also first to report Garrett's letter to Florida. Garrett's July 1 letter to Florida AD Jeremy Foley read in part: "I have spoken with Mr. Baxter and he has now confirmed that he did not receive a call from your institution. Therefore, USC has no intention of pursuing this matter further. "I apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment this matter has caused to you and your institution." Several media outlets have reported that Alabama and Washington also received letters from Garrett.

Ex-Auburn back Aycock heading to USF

Nearly two months after getting the boot from the Auburn football program, Dontae Aycock has found a new collegiate football home.

Aycock, long rumored to have an interest in South Florida, is indeed heading to the Bulls, Greg Auman of the St. Petersburg Times is reporting.

The running back's brother, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Dwight Smith, confirmed to the Times that Aycock will be a walk-on at USF, with the goal of "try[ing] to earn a scholarship." Smith said that for Aycock, a Tampa native, "coming home was his No. 1 priority."

The sophomore was a four-star member of the Tigers' 2009 recruiting class who was a redshirt during his first and only year at Auburn. He was dismissed by head coach Gene Chizik for violating unspecified team rules.

After sitting out this season, Aycock will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Auburn Reserve DB Hood...Transferred

Auburn has officially suffered a slight blow to their depth in the secondary as cornerback D'Antoine Hood has transferred from the school, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer is reporting.

Hood, the cousin of former Auburn standout Roderick Hood, has decided to move on and resume his collegiate career at Alabama State.

The junior told the paper via Facebook that he has already been taking classes at the school for the past month. As Alabama State is a Div. 1-AA institution, Hood will not have to sit out a transfer year and will be eligible to play immediately.

Hood played in 22 games during his two years with the Tigers, with two starts and 22 tackles on his résumé.

USC apologizes to UF for false Dillon Baxter's accusation

According to Pete Thamel of the New York Times, USC athletic director (for now) Mike Garrett sent a letter to Florida officials apologizing for the reports, saying they were untrue. Garrett also apologized for "any inconvenience or embarrassment" the situation has caused Florida.

There was no mention as to whether the same letter was sent out or was planned to be sent out to the other four schools involved, or if this apology was specific to the Gators.

So, we get the feeling that this won't be the last of this story, and that letters to the remaining schools are coming.

Then either Baxter or USC's compliance department, or both will have some serious explaining to do.

Patrick Patterson, dismissed from Ole Miss

Rivals.com's Ole Miss website is reporting that, according to multiple sources, Patterson has been dismissed from the program. The move comes a little less than two months after Nutt told reporters Patterson's suspension was close to being lifted.

It's unclear what specific action, or inaction, on Patterson's part prompted Nutt to now move for dismissal.

In addition to the spring practice suspension, Patterson was suspended for the Rebels' Oct. 17 game against UAB last season for violating unspecified team rules.

As a true freshman last season, Patterson caught 12 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. He was the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi last year, and rated as the No. 4 receiver in the country by Rivals.com.

Georgia president names Crumley interim AD to replace Evans

Frank Crumley was named Georgia’s interim athletic director on Tuesday, though university president Michael Adams said he wants to look outside the university first for a full-time replacement for Evans.

Crumley received the promotion on Tuesday after working as Evans’ top assistant — executive associate athletic director for finance — since 2007. “Not to make light of it, but it will be business as usual,” Crumley said. Crumley said Evans’ arrest brought “some surprise and shock” to the athletic department. “I think it’s sort of shock but everybody is adjusting and happy to get back to work today. I know I was ... to get some normalcy back in it,” Crumley said. Adams selected a six-member search committee, headed by University of Georgia law professor David Shipley, to seek Evans’ permanent replacement. “This is one of the best five or six AD jobs in America, I believe, and I assure you there will be no shortage of interest,”. Adams said he is looking for “a person of integrity.” “I think in all these cases anyone you want already has a good job and so you have to work with someone else’s schedule other than your own,” he said. “I’m looking for someone who has a very high level of experience.” Adams said he hopes for an “expeditious” search, but Shipley said it is “overly optimistic” to suggest the search will end before 2011. Among the other search committee members are Georgia swimming coach Jack Bauerle, associate athletic director Carla Williams, and the student member of Georgia’s athletic board, Trey Sinyard.

Evans became the SEC’s first black athletic director in 2004 when he was hired by Adams to replace Vince Dooley, who had been at the school as football coach and athletic director for 40 years. Adams said he hoped Evans would provide continuity as a long-term head of the athletic department, but that plan was crushed by the embarrassing arrest on Wednesday.