Report: Five more UM football players suspended; And Ohio State fiasco

Nearly a week after InsideTheU.com reported that UM left tackle Seantrel Henderson had been suspended for the opener at Maryland, Adam Kuperstein of NBC Miami reported five other players have been suspended for the opener as well.

According to Kuperstein, those players are defensive backs Keion Payne and Devont'a Davis; running back Storm Johnson, linebacker Kelvin Cain; and defensive lineman Dyron Dye. Kuperstein said the suspensions were not academic related, and that all six players "broke team rules.''

I put in a call to UM associate athletic director for communications Chris Freet, and he said coach Al Golden is on vacation this weekend and will be back next week. Spring football practice resumes Tuesday.

I cannot confirm the suspensions, but it is quite obvious by now that Golden runs an extremely tight ship, and I can almost guarantee he won't comment on the report. He wants to keep everything within "the U family,'' as he calls it.

My guess is that if six players were suspended, the infraction is related. I don't know for sure.

> Golden also didn't discuss injuries at all at Temple, but will comply with the ACC suggested policy of divulging injury statuses the Thursday before a game (you know -- doubtful, probable, out, etc.) Don't know if he'll go the "upper extremity" and "lower extremity'' route.

STAR BUCKEYES (AND TRESSEL) WILL BE MISSING AGAINST MIAMI

> You've all probably heard by now that Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel said he wants the same punishment as his five players who took improper benefits (selling autographed memorabilia and receiving discounted tattoos): suspensions for the first five games of 2011.

Ohio State conducted its own investigation of the matter and suspended Tressel for two games before he came out with his newest suggestion yesterday. He was suspended because it was learned he knew about his players' improper benefits for more than nine months (including all of the 2010 season) and never reported it to anyone. Tressel had signed an NCAA disclosure form last September that he didn't know about the violations -- "even though he had exchanged e-mails in April and June with a Columbus lawyer who told him of his players' relationship with a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner and of the benefits the players had received,'' according to an Associated Press report.

Tressel could be handed down a more severe punishment by the NCAA.

So, when UM play Ohio State in Miami on Sept. 17, here are the Buckeyes who will not be playing in that game: quarterback Terrelle Pryor, starting offensive lineman Mike Adams, leading rusher Daniel Herron, first-team receiver De Vier Posey and backup defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.

And Tressel will not be coaching against Miami.

--SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN