Dorial Green-Beckham, who emerged as one of the nation’s premier receivers last season, has been indefinitely suspended for a violation of team policies..
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel made the announcement in a statement Monday. Green-Beckham, who caught 59 passes for 883 yards and 12 touchdowns last season for the SEC East Division champions, will have access to the academic resource center during the suspension.
Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star said on Twitter that Green-Beckham has not been arrested, but is part of an ongoing investigation by the Columbia (Mo.) Police.
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s the right thing to do for our football program, for the athletic department, and also for Dorial,” Pinkel said. “We have high standards related to the expectations that come along with being a Missouri Tiger, and Dorial has not met those recently. Representing Mizzou and our fans is a privilege, and we’ll work with him during this process. It’s been disappointing to have this, and other issues which have taken place lately. It’s frustrating, because we work very hard to instill responsibility and discipline in our young men so that our program represents Mizzou the right way. These actions aren’t representative of those expectations, and we are addressing these issues head on.”
It's not the first issue for the 6-6, 225-pound receiver.
He was arrested and charged with marijuana possession in 2012 and was arrested in January for "suspicion of drug activity" although acquaintances said pot found in the vehicle he was in did not belong to Green-Beckham.
TIDE REVENUES TOP NHL
Last month, a National Labor Relations Board director ruled that college football players at Northwestern could unionize. Many believe the ruling, if it stands up, could force schools and the NCAA to share more of the revenue from college football and basketball.
But figuring out how much revenue comes from these sports is difficult. The revenue streams are numerous.
According to the Education Department's latest statistics, all colleges combined to generate $14.3 billion in revenue during the 2012-13 fiscal year. Expenses totaled $13.8 billion, leaving about $500 million in profit, though not every university reported making money.
But some of the benefits from sports aren't captured in the department's statistics.
There are contracts worth nearly $18 billion just for the television rights to the NCAA men's basketball tournament and football bowl games. There also are billons in broadcasting rights deals for the five major football conferences.
"Revenues derived from college athletics is greater than the aggregate revenues of the NBA and the NHL," said Marc Edelman, an associate professor at City University of New York who specializes in sports and antitrust law. He also noted that Alabama's athletic revenues last year, which totaled $143 million, exceeded those of all 30 NHL teams and 25 of the 30 NBA teams.
Texas is the largest athletic department, earning more than $165 million last year in revenue — with $109 million coming from football, according to Education Department data. The university netted $27 million after expenses.
Other major programs such as Florida ($129 million), Ohio State ($123 million), Michigan ($122 million), Southern California ($97 million) and Oregon ($81 million) also are grossing massive dollars. They are also spending big bucks, too.
Most universities are just trying to keep pace in the arms race of college athletics, reporting spending as much — or more — than they are making annually. Many athletic departments also receive subsidies from universities in the form of student fees.
Rod Fort, a sports economist and co-director at the Michigan Center for Sport Management, said the difference in profit margins between schools and nonfootball programs "presents the potential union with a real trade-off problem" if it wanted to negotiate for revenue.
"If athletes make any gains through organization of unions and collective bargaining, it's going to come at the expense of other spending that's going on in the athletic department. Most of that extra money goes to coaches' salaries, facility upgrades and recruiting," Fort said. "It's precisely that spending that makes the university the attractive place that it is to come and play in the first place."
TV deals are the biggest source of money, but that's only the beginning.
Merchandise sales, sponsorship deals and booster donations are all part of an athletic pie that could one day be sliced up for players. The retail marketplace for college licensed merchandise alone last year was estimated at $4.62 billion, according to Collegiate Licensing Company, the country's oldest and largest college trademark licensing agency.
BAMA CB WILL RETURN
Alabama cornerback Eddie Jackson sustained a knee injury in practice that required surgery.
Coach Nick Saban said Monday that an MRI showed ligament damage on Jackson's knee. Saban said he's "confident Eddie will make a full recovery and be ready to go this fall."
Saban says the sophomore was hurt in Saturday's scrimmage after going up for the ball and landing awkwardly.
Saban said at this time that Jackson is "probably our best corner." He started four games and played in seven as a freshman, recording 19 tackles with an interception and two fumble recoveries.
Saban didn't specify the nature of the injury.
WOLVERINES, LIONS, AT NIGHT
For just the third time in Michigan Stadium history, the Wolverines will play a night game and it will be a big one.
Michigan announced Monday that it will play Penn State in primetime Oct. 11. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. ET and ESPN or ESPN2 will televise it.
Michigan previously played home night games against Notre Dame in 2011 and last season — both Michigan victories.
“The night game atmosphere created by our fans has been electric and we expect that same type of energy for our first-ever conference night game against Penn State,” Michigan coach Brady Hoke said in a statement. “Our players really enjoy playing in primetime at Michigan Stadium.
Last season, Michigan and Penn State had one of the season’s more memorable games when the Wolverines outlasted the Nittany Lions, 43-40, in four overtimes.
BUCKEYES PAYING
Ohio State will pay more than $2 million in total guarantees to bring Virginia Tech, Kent State and Cincinnati to Ohio Stadium to play the Buckeyes in football this fall.
The university disclosed the payouts on Tuesday at the request of The Associated Press.
Cincinnati, located a couple of hours away, will receive the most money — $888,246 — to come play the Buckeyes on Sept. 27. Kent State, also located about two hours away, gets $850,000 to appear in Columbus on Sept. 13. Virginia Tech, which comes to Ohio Stadium on Sept. 20 as the first of a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes, will receive a $350,000 guarantee.
The Buckeyes get an $850,000 guarantee to open against Navy on Aug. 30 at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.
Contributors: Ken Bradley, Associated Press