By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
GAINESVILLE — When he met with about 1,000 fans and boosters April 20 at his first Gator Gathering in Lakeland, Florida football coach Will Muschamp told the crowd that players had to do things the right way or they weren't going to be part of the program.
With the nation watching to see how he handled his first major test case, Muschamp said Tuesday that he dismissed senior cornerback Janoris Jenkins from the team after his third arrest in the past 23 months.
"After meeting with Janoris Jenkins (Tuesday), we both felt it was in his best interest to move ahead to the next stage of his career," Muschamp said. "We appreciate Janoris' contributions to the University of Florida during his time here and wish him the best of luck."
Jenkins was a potential first-round NFL pick before he injured his shoulder in December and had surgery in March. His off-field troubles included two arrests on charges of possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana in the past three months.
A Pahokee native, Jenkins had eight career interceptions and was a 2010 first-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press.
The supplemental NFL draft would be a likely option for Jenkins when the league's labor situation is resolved.
East-West Shrine Game likely coming to Trop
Officials including St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster are expected to announce this morning that the East-West Shrine Game, a showcase for NFL draft hopefuls, will be played in January at Tropicana Field for the next two years.
The game, which dates to 1925, has been played the past two years at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando but has drawn fewer than 10,000 fans in both games.
Illinois: Senior running back Jason Ford was arrested on suspicion of driving on a suspended license Sunday morning and was free on $300 bond.
Men's basketball: Louisville coach Rick Pitino rehired son Richard Pitino, two years after he left to join Billy Donovan's staff at Florida. Richard Pitino will be joined on the staff by Wyking Jones, who spent two seasons at New Mexico. Both will sign two-year contracts. … Hofstra senior guard Charles Jenkins won the Haggerty Award, given to the outstanding player in the New York metropolitan area, for the third straight year. Jenkins joins Columbia's Jim McMillian (1968-70) and St. John's Chris Mullin (1983-85) as the only three-time winners.
Tennis: UF sophomore Allie Will was named SEC women's player of the year, and freshman Alex Cercone of Seminole was named to the All-SEC second team.
Women's basketball: Charlotte hired Marquette assistant and former Iowa standout Cara Consuegra, 32, as coach.
Times staff writer Greg Auman contributed to this report, which used information from Times wires.