Keith
11-30-2004, 06:27 PM
Dvoracek to return to team?
By George Schroeder
The Oklahoman
NORMAN - Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops suggested Tuesday the door might be slightly open for Dusty Dvoracek’s return next season. Stoops dismissed Dvoracek from the team last September amid allegations of violent behavior .
More OU coverage
“I think it’s something that is definitely a legitimate consideration after the season,” Stoops said.
Dvoracek did not return a phone call Tuesday. But a source close to him, indicated the standout defensive tackle was seriously considering a return.
“I think Dusty has it in his mind he doesn’t want his legacy at OU to be this,” the source said. “I think he’d like for his legacy to be a positive one at OU.”
Dvoracek, who was a captain and a preseason All-America candidate, was a senior this season. In order to play in 2005, he would have to apply for a medical hardship, presumably claiming he had been afflicted with an incapacitating physical or mental injury or illness.
Those exceptions are typically granted in the case of physical injury; OU quarterback Jason White, for example, received an extra year after knee injuries. But OU defensive end Dan Cody received a medical redshirt for the 2001 season after he was diagnosed with clinical depression. And since his dismissal, Dvoracek has undergone anger-management and alcohol-related counseling.
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione declined comment, citing confidentiality concerns. But it appears Dvoracek’s return - if he wanted - would hinge upon two pivots.
It’s unclear whether the NCAA - or actually a review panel from the Big 12 - would grant an extra season of eligibility; history is murky, at best. Just as important, OU officials would have to assent to Dvoracek’s return.
And that might not be a foregone conclusion.
“All of it has to happen,” said Stoops, referring to Dvoracek’s decision, the NCAA’s, and the school’s. “That isn’t something we’re going to make a decision about now. It’s something that will be dealt with after the season.”
Dvoracek, an honor-roll student and academic all-Big 12 selection as a management major, has remained in school. He attended the anger-management and alcohol-related counseling sessions three nights a week, three hours a night. And sources said he has expressed remorse for his actions in embarrassing himself and OU.
“I think you can’t deny the positives that he has had and has done here,” Stoops said. “I think that’s to be considered along with the recovery and the penalties he has had.”
Dvoracek would have to consider how playing another year at OU would affect his NFL prospects. He is eligible for April’s NFL Draft. A source close to Dvoracek said the senior has continued strength-and-conditioning work.
But John Murphy, director of scouting for Scouting Bureau, Inc., which scouts college players for NFL subscribers, said Tuesday NFL teams would consider Dvoracek’s off-field troubles when evaluating him. Murphy said a return to OU - if the option is available - would help ease those concerns.
Dvoracek was elected captain by his teammates last August. But in the early morning hours Sept. 12, he was allegedly involved in an incident that landed a longtime friend in the hospital with a head injury.
Sources said Dvoracek and Matt Wilde, 21, Dvoracek’s former high school teammate, had been drinking, then argued. Stories on what happened next conflicted, but Wilde spent several days in Norman Regional Hospital, the first few in intensive care.
Norman police and the Cleveland County district attorney’s office investigated for several weeks, but declined to file charges, citing a lack of cooperation from Wilde.
Stoops first decided to indefinitely suspend Dvoracek. But in the week after the incident, other allegations of drinking and violence surfaced, including a fight last March in Norman and in 2002 in Addison, Texas.
On Sept. 17, the night before OU was to host Oregon, Stoops dismissed Dvoracek. The next day, Stoops said there was no chance Dvoracek would return to the team.
I feel that since Dvoracek has been in trouble so much, and has been bullying others around, to the point where they won't testify against him, tells me that he needs to stay off the team. He has been an embarrassment for OU, and I don't care how many classes of anger management he goes to, he doesn't deserve to be back on the team.
My 2 cents.
By George Schroeder
The Oklahoman
NORMAN - Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops suggested Tuesday the door might be slightly open for Dusty Dvoracek’s return next season. Stoops dismissed Dvoracek from the team last September amid allegations of violent behavior .
More OU coverage
“I think it’s something that is definitely a legitimate consideration after the season,” Stoops said.
Dvoracek did not return a phone call Tuesday. But a source close to him, indicated the standout defensive tackle was seriously considering a return.
“I think Dusty has it in his mind he doesn’t want his legacy at OU to be this,” the source said. “I think he’d like for his legacy to be a positive one at OU.”
Dvoracek, who was a captain and a preseason All-America candidate, was a senior this season. In order to play in 2005, he would have to apply for a medical hardship, presumably claiming he had been afflicted with an incapacitating physical or mental injury or illness.
Those exceptions are typically granted in the case of physical injury; OU quarterback Jason White, for example, received an extra year after knee injuries. But OU defensive end Dan Cody received a medical redshirt for the 2001 season after he was diagnosed with clinical depression. And since his dismissal, Dvoracek has undergone anger-management and alcohol-related counseling.
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione declined comment, citing confidentiality concerns. But it appears Dvoracek’s return - if he wanted - would hinge upon two pivots.
It’s unclear whether the NCAA - or actually a review panel from the Big 12 - would grant an extra season of eligibility; history is murky, at best. Just as important, OU officials would have to assent to Dvoracek’s return.
And that might not be a foregone conclusion.
“All of it has to happen,” said Stoops, referring to Dvoracek’s decision, the NCAA’s, and the school’s. “That isn’t something we’re going to make a decision about now. It’s something that will be dealt with after the season.”
Dvoracek, an honor-roll student and academic all-Big 12 selection as a management major, has remained in school. He attended the anger-management and alcohol-related counseling sessions three nights a week, three hours a night. And sources said he has expressed remorse for his actions in embarrassing himself and OU.
“I think you can’t deny the positives that he has had and has done here,” Stoops said. “I think that’s to be considered along with the recovery and the penalties he has had.”
Dvoracek would have to consider how playing another year at OU would affect his NFL prospects. He is eligible for April’s NFL Draft. A source close to Dvoracek said the senior has continued strength-and-conditioning work.
But John Murphy, director of scouting for Scouting Bureau, Inc., which scouts college players for NFL subscribers, said Tuesday NFL teams would consider Dvoracek’s off-field troubles when evaluating him. Murphy said a return to OU - if the option is available - would help ease those concerns.
Dvoracek was elected captain by his teammates last August. But in the early morning hours Sept. 12, he was allegedly involved in an incident that landed a longtime friend in the hospital with a head injury.
Sources said Dvoracek and Matt Wilde, 21, Dvoracek’s former high school teammate, had been drinking, then argued. Stories on what happened next conflicted, but Wilde spent several days in Norman Regional Hospital, the first few in intensive care.
Norman police and the Cleveland County district attorney’s office investigated for several weeks, but declined to file charges, citing a lack of cooperation from Wilde.
Stoops first decided to indefinitely suspend Dvoracek. But in the week after the incident, other allegations of drinking and violence surfaced, including a fight last March in Norman and in 2002 in Addison, Texas.
On Sept. 17, the night before OU was to host Oregon, Stoops dismissed Dvoracek. The next day, Stoops said there was no chance Dvoracek would return to the team.
I feel that since Dvoracek has been in trouble so much, and has been bullying others around, to the point where they won't testify against him, tells me that he needs to stay off the team. He has been an embarrassment for OU, and I don't care how many classes of anger management he goes to, he doesn't deserve to be back on the team.
My 2 cents.