(Newser)
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In the wake of the University of Miami booster scandal, eight football players have been suspended by the NCAA for accepting illicit benefits from Nevin Shapiro. All of them must also repay the value of those benefits, ranging from $140 for quarterback Jacory Harris to $1,200 for defensive starter Olivier Vernon, who also received the harshest penalty with a six-game suspension. Five other players, including the quarterback, must miss Monday’s opening game before returning, while the remaining two will miss four games.
The suspended players can still practice with the team, and will likely be allowed to repay the money to charities, the Miami Herald notes. Four more players must repay amounts lower than $100, but were not suspended, and another player was cleared entirely. Coach Al Golden said yesterday “there will be a sense of relief” and “renewal” now that a decision has been made, adding that some of the older players involved have “grown so much in the last eight, nine months, let alone since these things occurred three years ago.” The NCAA’s investigation into the alleged wrongdoings of the university as a whole continues, and could result in additional penalties against the school.
