{"id":7804,"date":"2015-06-25T05:57:51","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T09:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=7804"},"modified":"2015-06-25T05:57:51","modified_gmt":"2015-06-25T09:57:51","slug":"withers-dismisses-three-players-from-jmu-football-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=7804","title":{"rendered":"Withers Dismisses Three Players from JMU Football Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Moreland<\/a>Everett Withers doesn’t mess around. JMU’s head coach has spoken a lot about creating a new culture for JMU football and holding everyone accountable to his high standards. Yesterday, he backed up the talk. Withers dismissed three players who failed to live up to his expectations from the program. The players, Rhakeem Stallings, Jimmy Moreland, and K.J. Ford, were charged with petty larceny earlier this year and were suspended indefinitely. They’re due in court today, but Withers had had enough apparently. He offered the following explanation<\/a>:<\/p>\n

It is my responsibility to grow and mentor young people as we take our journey through the process of building a culture in the JMU football program.\u00a0 We must establish a foundation that seeks competitive excellence on and off the field.\u00a0 We set standards and we mentor our student-athletes to meet those standards.\u00a0 Unfortunately, these three young men are no longer associated with James Madison University football due to violations of our team core values and disregard for the legal system.\u00a0 When individuals threaten the integrity of our team appropriate action will be taken.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Make no doubt about it, this is a tough loss for the Dukes on the field. Moreland was a fan favorite and a tremendous talent. As a true freshman, he started all but one game at corner last season. He had three picks, 12 pass break ups, and blocked a ridiculous 5 kicks. The sky was the limit for him. Stallings was no slouch either. The redshirt sophomore started 10 games at linebacker and was third on the team in tackles with 80. Ford redshirted last season, but the defensive lineman was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school.<\/p>\n

While this does nothing to raise our expectations for the defense this fall, it’s a good move for the program as a whole. Withers is huge on accountability and this sort of decisive action definitely sets a tone and helps avoid any Andre Nation or Justin Thorpe type situations down the road. Withers has made it clear that he wants players to excel on the field and set an example off it. Dismissing players as talented as Moreland and Stallings shows he’s not kidding around.<\/p>\n