Eye on the U

Dye, lawyer still waiting to hear back from NCAA

The criminal complaint filed by Hurricanes football player Dyron Dye against former NCAA investigator Rich Johanningmeier will not lead to charges being filed.

Spokesman Ed Griffith of the state attorney's office told The Miami Herald last week there was no evidence that a crime had been committed even though Dye said Johanningmeier "coerced him into providing favorable answers for [the NCAA's] investigation."

Darren Heitner, Dye's attorney, said he and his client are waiting with much anticipation to see what the NCAA plans to do with the 6-5, 261-pound's eligibility. He interviewed with the NCAA for a third time last month. 

"Right now there is no indication his eligibility is at risk," Heitner said. "That said, during his third interview they mentioned there was a potential 10.1 [unethical conduct] violation. We haven't heard from the NCAA since the conclusion of the third interview. We hope that if there is any negative consequence they make it public knowledge quickly."

Will Ray-Ray Armstrong file injunction for reinstatement?

 An attorney representing former UM Hurricanes safety Ray-Ray Armstrong told me he plans to file an injunction to reinstate Armstrong to the team.

The Orlando-based attorney, Matt Morgan, sent me a tweet tonight, saying "We do not agree with the way they have handled Ray Ray. A very talented athlete's career is at stake.''

I then talked to Morgan by phone, and he said, "Here you've got Miami making a decision on its own to kick him off the team without the NCAA telling them to. You ask why? I believe it's because they're under investigation by the NCAA.

"We're saying Miami is offering up a sacrificial lamb in Ray-Ray.''

Armstrong was dismissed from the team recently for an undisclosed reason, though his father told The Miami Herald it was because Armstrong initially lied, and then told the truth, to UM officials about being at a Miami Beach hotel with his girlfriend -- the owner of a public relations company that represents professional athletes. 

"The underlying issue is Ray-Ray was at a hotel with his girlfriend, the girlfriend picked up charges to her personal credit card, so there is no NCAA violation,'' Morgan said. "They're thinking an agent is putting him up in the room but it turns out to be his girlfriend. You can't avoid hanging out with your girlfriend, just because her occupation happens to be a PR person."

Armstrong was suspended last season in connection to the NCAA case involving UM's relationship with former booster and convicted felon Nevin Shapiro.

Armstrong's statement, provided by Morgan: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with the University of Miami. I hope they reconsider their decision and allow me to play football as a Hurricane this season.''

Chris Freet, UM's associate athletic director for communications and marketing, told me UM had not heard from the lawyer as of Tuesday night, and that he had no other comment.

 Morgan said the injunction is "three-quarters of the way completed'' and that he intends to file it by the end of the week.

 

 SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

Duke Johnson's reflection, the Canes' young (and old) receivers and Sunday's first scrimmage of fall

A humorous anecdote from Tuesday's practice:

Hurricanes linebacker Denzel Perryman said he had Duke Johnson as a roommate during the summer and he could tell that Duke was "putting on a little weight" and "getting bigger" because Johnson would stand in front of the mirror and flex.

What would Perryman do?

"I would just tell him to sit down.

"We talked before and I was telling him, 'You've got to put [the hype] to the side. Right now you kind of start over. You're not in high school anymore; you're in college. You know everybody that's out here is All-American -- they were top guys in their city.'''

YOUNG RECEIVERS LOOKING GOOD

Here's the transcript from our interview today with receivers coach George McDonald:

What’s the biggest learning curve for a young receiver?

“I think the learning curve for all of them is one is the tempo that we play at. You know the high intensity in practice and just the volume of plays that we put in. You know, sometimes the
number of plays we have in one day is the number of plays we have in one season,
so just the learning curve. It’s the same thing from high school to college, college
to the NFL. It’s just the volume of information you get daily.”

How’s Malcolm Lewis looking?

“Malcolm’s doing a good job. I mean he’s really doing a nice job. He’s a real polished receiver. You know it’s the same thing, just the conditioning, just the volume of plays. But all the guys that we’ve signed, they’ve definitely shown they have the ability to play. Now how fast all that happens will play itself out. But they’re all doing really well right now.”

What in particular does Malcolm do that impresses you?

“I think the biggest thing about Malcolm is that he can make the first person miss. His run after the catch ability is really a specific trait that he has. He’s elusive after he catches the ball then he
gets the ball up the field really fast.”

And Lockhart's leaping ability?

“Now Lockhart, you know he has really, really good ball skills. He can track the ball amazingly. All of them have unique traits but that’s one of his strong traits right there.”

Coach Golden talked about Kendal’s consistency.

“Kendal’s done a great job. And he’s a guy that’s just kept working, kept working, and this year, I hope this is the year that he puts everything together. But up to this point I mean he’s done an awesome job in terms of knowing the system, playing hard every day and competing every day.”

Does he feel the pressure of being the old guy?

“No I don’t think he feels any pressure. I think he feels relieved. It’s just like, ‘hey, you know it’s my
time’. I think it’s a great opportunity for him and I think he’s maximizing all his
opportunities right now.”

How much do you plan to get the younger guys into the rotation?

“Coach Golden’s philosophy is get the talent into the game. So the
most talented players are going to play and obviously we have a lot of young,
talented players that might receive a position so we’re going to try to get as many
as we can in the game."

SUNDAY'S SCRIMMAGE is set for 1 p.m., and I'm pretty sure it's closed to the public (and media). However, if that changes, I will let you know.

 SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

 

 

(Expanded) Quick Hits from UM Canes Tuesday Practice

Biggest eye openers:

1. True freshman CB Tracy Howard wearing coveted first-team black jersey reserved for best and brightest. This kid is for real!

2. True freshman RB Randy "Duke" Johnson wearing red no-contact jersey (but still partaking in drills). Johnson suffers from occasional migraines and got a whopper a couple days ago. He doesn't get many, but when he does they can be nasty. Word is he was feeling a lot better Tuesday, but UM coaches were being cautious by keeping him in the red jersey for today, a source familiar with the situation said. Doctors are aware of the situation.

3. Sr CB Brandon McGee not in black first-team jersey (see 1). Not good for Brandon, a great kid. Disappointing, but it's still way early.

4. Four players in red no-contact jerseys: RB Johnson, TE Dye, DL King, CB Finnie

Note: Today is first day in full pads (Except for Seantrel, still in first phase of practicing)

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN