Cory Muse will not play, but Justin Rogers will against ECU. (Christina Parrish)
SMU quarterback Duke Hasson and wide receiver Zack Sledge will serve a one-game penalty for their arrests at a late-night party after Saturday’s win over Marshall, said football head coach Phil Bennett.
“Just for a game. They’re going to practice, they’re going to be involved in everything, they’re just not going to travel,” said Bennett. “You’ve heard me say it and I’ve said it before its not a right, it’s a privilege.”
“Their contribution this week will be on the scout team and I know they’ll do a great job,” Bennett added.
The team will leave on Friday for North Carolina to take on the East Carolina Pirates Saturday afternoon.
Second-string quarterback Corey Slater will assume kick-holding responsibilities and multiple players and student assistants will help with sideline play calling.
“These two guys thought they were helping a situation,” Bennett said. “It wasn’t malicious.”
Bennett added the players “are both good kids,” but “When a police officer is involved, they had no idea how good of kids Zack and Duke are, because they were called there to do a job.”
“They weren’t involved in anything, they thought they were helping but they didn’t
The loss of Hasson and Sledge will add an increase strain on the SMU personnel, who are have multiple players sidelined with injuries.
Sophomore running back DeMyron Martin is questionable and will most likely not travel this weekend. Slater is suffering from a sprained knee and defensive end Cory Muse will not be ready until at least the University of Alabama at Birmingham game on Oct. 31.
Defensive end Justin Rogers will return this weekend, as will running back Jessie Henderson. Bennett said the injuries shouldn’t hurt his team too much.
“We’re at a point that the more players we played earlier in the season, that we can overcome some of those things.”
Bennett said the situation “breaks his heart,” but he has to enforce consequences when players misbehave.
“I’ve got over 120 kids I cant be with them all the time, their coaches cant be with them, their parents cant be with them all the time. We’re going to work with them. It’s like your children, when they lose something they really like sometimes it changes their way of thinking,” Bennett said.
