Two of the University of Pittsburgh’s top players will be starting their 2015 season a week later than expected.
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi announced Monday that junior wide receive Tyler Boyd and sophomore defensive end Rori Blair. had been suspended for the Panthers’ opening game against Youngstown State University.
By Cory Burrell
Boyd and Blair were charged in separate DUI incidents this past year.
Boyd was pulled over June 12th. According to a report by TribLive, police pulled Boyd over after he attempted to pass a car at an intersection. According to the police report, Boyd admitted to having two shots of alcohol shortly before, and a portable breath test given to Boyd came up positive for alcohol. While the actual results of the test were not released, police say it was above the legal limit for drivers under the age of 21 (Boyd is 20).
Boyd’s license was suspended for 90 days and he was sentenced to a program for nonviolent, first-time offenders. He will spend 12 months on probation and will take safe driving classes. If he completes the program, Boyd can ask for the courts to expunge his record.
In addition to the charges, Boyd was suspended from all team activities for a month. Although this suspension recently came to an end, Narduzzi hinted Boyd would likely face more team disciplinary measures well before the official suspension was announced.
“I told him there are still choices I have to make as far as what we’ll do,” Narduzzi said. “It will be a family issue. We will deal with it internally.”
In March, Blair was pulled over in Pittsburgh by a state trooper, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. According to police reports obtained by the Post-Gazette, Blair was driving 117 miles per hour in an area with a 55 miles per hour speed. According to the police report, the state trooper who pulled Blair over “detected a strong odor of marijuana” on Blair’s breath. A blood test administered to Blair that night tested positive for cannabinoids.
Narduzzi said both players “will continue to be subject to internal discipline and accountability” by the team, but expects both players to learn from and move past these mistakes.
“The situations were very disappointing and both young men have expressed their regret,” Narduzzi said. “Our expectation is that each of them, as well as our entire team, will learn from their mistakes and be better for it moving forward.”
Boyd was an offensive standout for the Panthers’ passing game. Boyd garnered 1324 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. The only Panther with more yards from scrimmage than Boyd last year was James Conner, last year’s AAC Player of the Year. Optimum Scouting’s Eric Galko ranked Boyd 16th overall in the “2016 NFL Draft Way Too Early Top-32 Big Board,” the second-highest receiver Galko ranked on his list.
Blair was an incredible story before he even stepped on a college football field. Blair suffered a life-threatening stroke during his junior year of high school. Even after recovering, Blair was unsure if he would ever be able to play football again. Blair not only returned to football form, but earned a football scholarship to Pittsburgh. In his freshman season, Blair led all Panthers with five sacks.
Pittsburgh is still expected to win with relative ease against Youngstown State, an FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) team that went 7-5 last year. However, the Penguins do have some recent history in pulling off upsets against the Panthers: just three years ago, Youngstown State completely outclassed Pittsburgh in a 31-17 drubbing.
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