MISSOULA -The University of Montana athletics department announced Friday morning it has given senior running back Jeremy Calhoun a two-game suspension for violating the student-athlete code of conduct. The suspension comes one day before the season-opening game against No. 12 Northern Iowa.
The Missoula County Attorney confirmed to KPAX Calhoun was involved in a fight in downtown Missoula on May 5. No one was arrested and no charges have been filed. But the UM student-athlete code of conduct considers some incidents a category one offense, even if the athlete is never charged. UM will not confirm the downtown fight is the reason for Calhoun’s suspension. But a category one offense comes with a suspension equal to at least 10 percent of the season, which in the case of football equals two games.
Calhoun started all 11 games as a junior last fall, earning honorable mention all-Big Sky Conference honors while leading the team with 684 rushing yards on 158 carries. He was ranked No. 9 in rushing in the Big Sky, averaging just more than 60 yards per contest in former coach Bob Stitt’s offense. He posted a career-high 124 yards in a 45-33 win at Portland State, while rushing for two touchdowns in a single game on two occasions — the season-opening win over Valparaiso and the win at PSU.
The former all-conference selection from Long Beach Poly High School (Calif.) broke into the Grizzlies’ lineup as a freshman in 2015, rushing for 291 net yards, the third-most by a true freshman in program history. He led the UM running backs with nine rushing touchdowns as a sophomore before his all-conference accolades last season.
Friday’s suspension will keep Calhoun from playing on Saturday against Northern Iowa and the following week against Drake.
Story by Derek Buerkle and Connor McCauley, MTN News
