NC State: The Great BB Gun Caper 7 Players Suspended

Really??

When I first heard about this I thought it was a joke.  With everything the Pack has faced these past few weeks, did we really need another challenge? Seven NC State football players suspended for  inappropriate behavior.

Over the years Wolfpack fans have endured Charles Shackleford’s hand injury that occurred after he  slept on it during a pregame flight, the late Lorenzo Charles’ stolen pizza escapade and let’s not forget Chris Washburn’s sticky fingers.   Now we have The Great BB Gun Caper.   This one will surely be added to NC State lore.

The incident occurred at an off campus residence and is being described as a “BB gun game” that apparently was reckless and fraught with poor judgement.

I’m all about punishment for bad behavior and poor decisions, but I have to wonder if suspensions are really necessary.    This sounds more like young men making a very dumb entertainment decision.  Admittedly, information is scarce and I concede that coach Doeren is privy to more facts than what is being reported.  But from what we know there have been no arrests, assaults, or aggressive violent behavior to note here.  No thievery or illicit drug use here.  No real firearms were involved.  However, there was reported windshield damge to the tune of $280.00.  Having said all of that, the decision to shoot at anything (let alone people) in public with a BB gun was idiotic.  I guess we’ll just have to trust the coach’s judgement on this one.

More from North Carolina State Wolfpack

• NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
• Four North Carolina players selected in first round of MLB Draft
• N.C. State basketball announces staff changes
• N.C. State Football: Wolfpack lands Top 10 quarterback in 2021
• Should N.C. State fans be mad at Doeren over Will Shipley?

In what could have been the impetus for Doeren’s swift punishment, last week East Carolina head coach Ruffin McNeill announced that it had indefinitely suspended three football players from the team after Greenville Police cited the players for discharging a weapon within the city limits prompting a lockdown of a nearby elementary school. The weapon was later determined to have been…you guessed it…a BB gun.

On a defense that can ill-afford any setbacks, starters Jerod Fernandez (LB) and Josh Jones  (Safety) were among the seven suspended.  Others relieved of duties this Saturday are Johnathan Alston (WR), Jumichael Ramos (WR),  Justin Jones (DL) , Pharoah McKever (DL) and Mike Stevens (CB).   Doeren also placed five freshmen who are redshirting this season– Deyshawn Middleton, Terronne Prescod, Kalen McCain, Maurice Trowell and  Tyler Jones on probation.

Doeren said in a statement “These are good young men who made a mistake in not recognizing that this activity could have resulted in someone being injured,” coach Dave Doeren said in a statement. “We have discussed this with them and they understand that they are being held responsible for their actions. The information was referred to the university’s office of student conduct as well. Our players admitted their mistake and we will help them learn from it.”