07-06-2008, 08:22 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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UC Allows Alex Daniels To Join Football Team
Last Update: 7/03
CINCINNATI ? University of Cincinnati Director of Athletics Mike Thomas announced today that UC student Alex Daniels will join the Bearcats? football team and begin summer workouts in preparation for the 2008 season. Daniels transferred to UC after being dismissed last year from the University of Minnesota football team.
?This decision was discussed in great detail and I have decided Alex earned an opportunity to join the football team,? said Thomas. ?Any time you have to make a decision like this you have to analyze it on a case-by-case basis, examine the circumstances, and make the determination based on the person?s character and the facts in the case. After reviewing the circumstances and his situation, I believe he understands what he did was wrong and he has made the necessary changes to put his life back on track. His performance in the classroom and his behavior since arriving in Cincinnati suggests that he is solidly committed to being a successful student-athlete and a productive member of society.?
Daniels spent last year in Cincinnati after he was admitted to Raymond Walters College in the fall and winter, and subsequently to the University of Cincinnati?s main campus. He was admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences this spring and has met all the NCAA eligibility requirements to participate at UC after transferring from the University of Minnesota.
?I first want to thank Mr. Thomas for letting me join the UC football team and giving me another opportunity to earn my college degree and play football,? said Daniels. ?I will work hard in the classroom, on the football field, and in life to earn every ounce of respect I receive from my teammates, coaches, the University, and its fans. I am sorry for my actions that led to my dismissal from the University of Minnesota football team and have apologized to those I disappointed, especially my family.?
As a member of the Minnesota football team in 2005 and 2006, Daniels played in a combined 23 games as a linebacker and running back for the Gophers. In the 2006 season opener, he earned the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 155 yards rushing and three touchdowns vs. Kent State. Coming out of high school, he was considered to be the 11th best athlete overall by Rivals.com and the 108th-best player overall by CollegeFootballNews.com.
?Football is a sport that requires a great deal of fortitude and Alex has shown me his by taking care of business in the classroom and putting himself in the position to get this opportunity from Mr. Thomas,? said head coach Brian Kelly. ?Mike Thomas did a thorough job preparing to make this decision and now it is up to Alex to follow through. We have an agreement that he is going to meet the high expectations we set for all student-athletes at UC.?
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UC Allows Alex Daniels To Join Football Team - Cincinnati breaking news, weather radar, traffic from 9News | Channel 9 WCPO.com
Quote:
UC Cincinnati.Com ? UC
Thursday, July 3, 2008
UC clears Daniels
By Bill Koch • bkoch@enquirer.com
University of Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly first met Alex Daniels in September of last year, just before the start of fall quarter.
He knew about Daniels’ situation at Minnesota, which had dismissed him from its football program just a few months earlier. He also knew about his potential as a football player.
But Kelly said that first conversation had very little to do with football.
“I really wasn’t that interested in the football end of things,” Kelly said. “I was trying to get a feel for who Alex Daniels was at that time.
“Anytime you have a situation like Alex’s, it’s either a serious mistake or it’s somebody that is a bad human being. I didn’t know when he first came on campus where he fit on that. But after observing him for nine or 10 months and knowing what he had to go through, I see a person who made a bad mistake and has earned a second chance.”
After examining Daniels’ situation and talking with officials from Minnesota, UC athletic director Mike Thomas reached the same conclusion and on Thursday cleared Daniels to play at UC this fall.
“Alex’s opportunity to play at UC is based on what he has done the past nine or 10 months,” Thomas said. “What he has accomplished hasn’t been done with support of UC athletics. What he’s done in the classroom, his conduct in the community, being a student and paying for that himself, he has proven that he deserves that opportunity and I agree with that.”
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UC clears Daniels | Cincinnati Enquirer | Cincinnati.Com
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