And just like that, Missouri’s defensive line has taken a one-two punch to the gut.
Mizzou confirmed Wednesday that defensive end Walter Brady (pictured, middle) and defensive tackle Harold Brantley are no longer on the team. Brady has been dismissed from the football program for violating unspecified team rules while Brantley’s departure is related to academics.
The school declined to go further into the reasons behind the twin separations.
The loss of Brady is likely the most noteworthy of the two.
After redshirting in 2014, Brady started nine games at end as a redshirt freshman. His seven sacks were tops among all freshman nationally, while his 12.5 tackles for loss were tops amongst that class in the SEC. He was a consensus Freshman All-American.
Brantley, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, sustained a broken tibia, knee ligament damage and multiple fractured ribs in a rollover wreck that happened Father’s Day weekend last year. Following surgeries to repair the damage, he missed the entire 2015 season.
The season before, he started 10 of 14 games for the Tigers.