This one will leave a mark.
In a very brief press release late Wednesday morning, TCU announced that defensive end Devonte Fields has been suspended for the first two games of the 2013 season. The reason? “Violation of university and team policy” the release stated.
There was no comment from head coach Gary Patterson on his decision attached to the release, and no details on what led to the suspension were divulged.
Due to the suspension, Fields will miss the season opener against LSU in Arlington Aug. 31. He’ll also miss the Sept. 7 home opener against Southeastern Louisiana.
Suffice to say, Fields’ absence, especially against the run-heavy Bayou Bengals, is a significant blow. In 2012, Fields was named by the coaches as the Big 12’s Freshman Defensive Player of the Year while the Associated Press selected him as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Fields started all 13 games last season, leading the Horned Frogs in tackles for loss (18.5) and sacks (10). He was first in the Big 12 at 1.42 tackles for loss per game and third in the league with 0.77 sacks per game