Byrnes Football Players Suspended - Championship Game Today
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Published: December 6, 2008
Updated: December 22, 2008
NewsChannel 7 broke the details Friday of three Byrnes High School football players, who have been ticketed with possessing drug paraphernalia and suspended from the nationally ranked team.
Duncan Police say 17 year old senior defensive back Riyahd Richardson, 17-year-old senior defensive back Luke Scott, and 17-year-old junior defensive back Devin Miller were found at a nearby apartment complex, during school hours Thursday, with drug paraphernalia. The charge is a misdemeanor, a violation of a city ordinance, and carries a fine of $470.00.
A resident of the Hampton Ridge Apartments called police after spotting the vehicle parked in the apartment’s parking lot. When an officer arrived, he asked the driver to roll down the window. That is when the officer noticed the smell of marijuana, according to police. Chief Cothran says the teenagers had rolling papers in the vehicle, but no marijuana was discovered, the officers believing the three had smoked all the marijuana that was in their possession. Only Scott had permission to be off school property at that time of day, according to Cothran.
Richardson and Miller are starters for the team.
Richardson has also been dropped from next week’s North-South All-Star game at the request of Byrnes, according to Keith Richardson (not related) who oversees the contest.
Keith Richardson says that Chester’s CJ Turner replaces Riyahd Richardson on the North Roster.
Spartanburg School District Five Superintendent Dr. Scott Turner confirm the suspensions of three players from the team for a violation of team rules.
Fans of the team in Duncan are taking the news pretty hard.
“Anytime you lose a player its going to hurt the team and its going to hurt them emotionally because they’re not going to have the three that they were counting on,” Lane Sims, of Sims Barbecue, said.
The Rebels face Sumter for the AAAA Division I championship on Saturday at 3:00pm at Clemson Memorial Stadium.
The families of the three players declined to comment, when we visited their homes Friday evening.
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Reader Reactions
i think the hold team needs to be drug tested. to see if there are more and thats why they are winning so many games and all sports needs to be tested in high schools.more people need to push this.
All three were punished for breaking the coaches rules, the team rules, the school rules, the school district’s rules, the school administration rules, and what should be the parent’s rules…color had NOTHING to do with it….when I was their age, we had TRUANT officers. Kids ONLY get into to trouble when they are not at school or at work and there’s more than 2 of them together and together they do not think of the consequences of their actions…GET OFF THE RACE THING, IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! They should be GRATEFUL getting kicked off the team is all the punishment they got…as far as I know, they are still students at the school and graduating (hopefully) in the spring, aren’t they?
“But to be honest,“ I don`t think the ball play`ers would have been punished at all, if the white kid had`nt been invovled.“,..... Dont think that was an apprropriate comment to make by the last postee, due to the fact of the immaturity of a city, county, state, or a nation in our racially divided times. just because of a persons skin color does not, or atleast shouldnt, put them above or below the law. if your wrong, your wrong, whether an athlete, a president, a common citizen, or a begger on the corner. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander.
Its about time, someone started giving these young athletes the punishments they need, for they`er crimes. Its got to the point, that they think they are above the law. And it seems that the public, and our school officals, think winning a ball game, is much more important than up holding the laws that “apply” to EVERYONE, not just the one`s that don`t play ball. I must commend the people that did make the right decision, but its a shame you did`nt start sooner. If you don`t get their thoughts of them thinking, they are above the law, out of their heads,“ we`re going to see more of them in OJ`s shoes, are even worse. But to be honest,“ I don`t think the ball play`ers would have been punished at all, if the white kid had`nt been invovled.
Crying shame for the team/school. But when you are in the spot-light like that team is and you do something to get thrown off the team, my what an example they are setting for all the little kids watching them.
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