The Hits Keep On Coming, Moreland, Stallings, and Ford Suspended Indefinitely

Today has been slightly more eventful for JMU football than your typical off season Monday in February. After the news broke this morning that Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley had accepted a job at John Carroll University, head coach Everett Withers announced that Jimmy Moreland, Rhakeen Stallings, and K.J. Ford have been suspended indefinitely.

A statement was released saying that the players violated the football program’s core values. No other details have been made available at this time. All three players were on the defensive side of the ball though. Make of that what you will.

Jimmy Moreland was a fan favorite last season, his first with the Dukes. He was a spark on special teams, blocking five kicks. He also returned two picks for touchdowns and earned the nickname (from us at least) Jimmy Effin’ Moreland. Stallings played lineback and racked up 80 tackles. Ford was highly recruited coming out of high school, but redshirted last season.

Obviously, it’s unfair to speculate on what happened at this point. We have virtually nothing to go off of. With that being said, it’s also a little troubling and a heck of a night cap on a weird day. First the defensive coordinator leaves for a job in D-III, then the head coach announces that three defensive players, two of which who were standouts, have been suspended. Hopefully the two are not connected and this is nothing more than a relatively harmless violation of team rules. We’ve seen how the “talented player who gets tripped up by off the court mistakes” movie plays out in hoops. We’d liked to avoid watching the sequel for football.