Texas Christian defensive end Devonte Fields, who has been suspended since allegedly punching his girlfriend, will not return to the team, according to the Twitter feed of Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Mac Engel. The Star-Telegram's Carlos A. Mendez reported the same.
Fields met with school officials Tuesday about the matter, and things clearly didn't go as he would have hoped. Fields turned himself into police on a misdemeanor assault warrant, but denied punching his girlfriend, Haley Brown. Later, Brown recanted part of her statement to police in which she suggested Fields had a gun.
Fields (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) is considered among the most talented pass rushers in college football. He was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2012 with 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. Injuries cost Fields most of last season, but he was still named preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Having been ousted from TCU, his situation is now not unlike that which star wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham faced earlier this year when he was dismissed from Missouri. Green-Beckham later signed with Oklahoma and the Sooners are appealing to the NCAA for his immediate eligibility. With fall camp already under way and classes beginning soon, however, Fields doesn't have nearly the same amount of time to consider a possible transfer destination.
More than likely, the decision by TCU to part ways with Fields means the star pass rusher will sit out the season, even if he does transfer elsewhere for the fall semester.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
