Back in early December, a pair of Syracuse football players were involved in a rather “interesting” run-in with a couple of men in police blues that resulted in twin arrests and charges for the duo.
Because of that, each will lose some playing time at varying points in the near and somewhat distant future.
The Orange announced Friday that head coach Doug Marrone “has taken team disciplinary action” against linebacker Marquis Spruill and running back Steven Rene as a result of an incident (allegedly) involving, among other things, Spruill "[grabbing an] officer by the top of the shirt with both hands and [trying] to pull the officer away from Rene.” The punitive action on the part of the school entails each of the players missing “a significant portion” of the next game for which they are available.
As Rene is injured and will not be available for the Orange’s Pinstripe Bowl matchup with West Virginia, his punitive measure likely won’t kick in until the 2013 season opener. As Spruill is healthy and available? He’ll miss “a significant portion” of the Dec. 29 postseason game.
The loss of Spruill, regardless of how long “a significant portion” actually is, is a big one as the junior is a three-year starter. This season, Spruill is third on the Orange in tackles for loss with nine and fourth in tackles with 62.