Well, this is unexpected. Or maybe it isn’t? Either way, this isn’t good for Tennessee.
The school announced Thursday morning that wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. Coach Derek Dooley said after practice that the suspension was brought on by “recent events.” Dooley added that he didn’t expect Rogers to play for Tennessee this season.
“There’s not one player on the team we’re not prepared to go play without,” Dooley said.
It’s been rumored, but not confirmed, that Rogers violated the school’s substance abuse policy.
Rogers has reportedly been in and out of Dooley’s doghouse for a while. His most recent line of issues came last December when it was reported that Rogers was technically not a part of the team, but is not officially suspended either. In the spring, the rumor mill had Rogers transferring to Georgia State, but that ended up being false.
Despite all the distractions, Rogers was incredibly productive in one of the more statistically inefficient offenses in the country last year. He caught 67 passes for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns. Losing Rogers for any amount of time hurts.
If nothing else, it should tighten the point spread the Vols have over North Carolina State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Tennessee is currently a touchdown favorite, but with Rogers out, the Wolfpack will probably tie cornerback David Amerson to receiver Justin Hunter, who is coming back from a season-ending ACL injury,.