Suspended 'Canes given initiatives
The Miami football players who were suspended for their role in a sideline-clearing brawl against Florida International will participate in several new community initiatives as part of their sanctioning, university officials said Thursday.
The community-service-type programs will include:
-- The development of a sportsmanship program with the 30 high schools in the Greater Miami Athletic Conference.
-- "Meaningful, on-going" work with a charity of each player's choosing.
-- After-school visits with South Florida youth to both tutor and discuss values such as sportsmanship and behavior.
-- Added work with the Miami-Dade County police's "Join a Team, Not a Gang" program, including players visiting youngsters.
-- Involvement in other outreach programs, including ones with the homeless.
The players were scheduled to begin the community service programs Thursday, visiting a homeless outreach facility in Miami.
The university and the Atlantic Coast Conference suspended 13 Miami players for their role in the Oct. 14 fight, which marred the Hurricanes' 35-0 victory over the Golden Panthers. All but one of those players was given a one-game suspension, which was served against Duke last weekend, and those 12 are eligible to play Saturday when Miami visits Georgia Tech.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/ncaa/10/26/miami.initiatives.ap/index.html