An off-field incident that happened before he stepped foot on campus will cost Mississippi State’s top 2016 signee some playing time. Whether that cost is high enough is very debatable.
Thursday afternoon, Mississippi State announced that Jeffery Simmons has been allowed to enroll at the university for summer school and will be permitted to participate in football activities. However, the touted defensive lineman will be suspended for the 2016 opener against South Alabama and will be required to be “will be evaluated by the licensed professionals at the university’s Student Counseling Services and... complete any program prescribed by that office.”
Controversy swirled in late March after a video that showed Simmons violently striking a female several times while she was on the ground. In a Facebook apology, Simmons claimed that the woman had spoken ill of a deceased relative, although he stated that didn’t excuse his actions.
Simmons was subsequently charged with disturbing the peace while fighting, a misdemeanor.
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“Based on conversations our staff has had with school, community and church leaders in Noxubee County, this incident appears to be uncharacteristic of Jeffery,” MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “It’s a highly unique circumstance to administer discipline to a student for an incident that occurred prior to that individual joining our university. However, it’s important that Jeffery and other potential MSU students understand that these type of actions and poor decisions are not acceptable.
“We expect the structure and discipline Jeffery will be a part of in our football program to benefit him. Jeffery will be held accountable for his actions while at MSU, and there will be consequences for any future incidents.”
Simmons was the only five-star member of the Bulldogs’ 2016 recruiting class, rated as the No. 1 player at any position in the state of Mississippi and the No. 15 player overall by Rivals.com. On National Signing Day this past February, Simmons, in what some recruitniks considered a surprising development, opted for MSU over Alabama and in-state rival Ole Miss.