Morning Breakfast

Well, it feels wonderful to finally having college football underway here in 2012. We saw South Caroline slide by Vanderbilt in a game last night, which I will admit I picked incorrectly. No matter, let’s move on, today is a new day.

Every Friday on Dawn of the Dawg, with Morning Breakfast we are going to take a look at something controversial that has taken place during the previous week. There is always something – in relation to college football – that people are arguing about. This week our main topic of discussion is:

College Football Players who have been dismissed from their teams, taking a year off of football. – Good or Bad?

So far in this offseason, we have had three big name players get kicked off their teams – just in the SEC (one of which has been kicked off of two teams recently). Two of these three players have decided rather than to play football somewhere else, they would take a year off of football. Is this a good decision or a bad decision for these players?

First, let’s take a look at Isaiah Crowell. Crowell was arrested while being stopped at a road block, being charged with wo felonies and a misdemeanor. The officers found a 9-mm Luger handgun – which was not registered – under the driver’s seat of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. Just 13 hours after his arrest, Richt dismissed Crowell from the UGA team.

Looking, for a ‘fresh start’ Crowell then headed to Alabama State to play FCS football. Crowell will most likely be the star of this year’s Jaguars team. Althought, Crowell didn’t take a year off from football, was going to an FCS team really the best decision for him, over a JUCO team?

Next on our list: Michael Dyer. Maybe some of you haven’t heard much about Michael Dyer over the last month. But Dyer has been suspended from the Arkansas State football team. Dyer – the star runningback of the Auburn Tigers National Championship team – was suspended before the end of last season by head coach Gene Chizik for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Dyer then followed former Auburn Offensive Coordinator – Gus Malzahn – to Arkansas State, where Dyer would have been uneligible to play after being denied by the NCAA to play immediately.

Yet, it is still unclear as to whether Michael Dyer will return to the Red Wolves next season, as he was dismissed from the team for this season. If he does indeed return to the Red Wolves, he will be the star of that team in 2013.

Finally, we have all heard the story of Tyrann Mathieu and LSU. Tyrann Mathieu – a Heisman Finalist in 2011 – was suspended earlier in the 2011 season for failing a random dug test. During the offseason, he failed another drug test – this test was administered by the NCAA. LSU then dismissed Mathieu from the team for the 2012 season. The LSU athletic staff was adament that Mathieu’s playing days for the Tigers was over.

Mathieu then went through a period of searching for ‘the right fit’ for his new school. Not much later, Tyrann Mathieu’s father – Tyrone – annouced that Tyrann will not be playing football during the 2012 season. Tyrone Mathieu reported that his son is “working on discipline, maturity, and character. He is making life adhustments” at the Right Step recovery center in Houston, TX. This is definitely good news to hear, as Mathieu is at least trying to make the right steps to get back. It is unclear as to what Mathieu plans to do after his rehab.

So, we have all three of these players, suspended from their teams. Two of which are not playing football this season. Their talents and their spirit will definitely be missed from these big SEC programs. It is just unclear to us as to what is inside these players minds. How do these players feel they can get away with breaking the rules? It’s nice to see the system working, however, their big time plays will be missed this season.