GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
UPDATE: LSU NO LONGER PREPARING TO PLAY WITH A.J. HAULCY – HE IS SUSPENDED FOR 1ST HALF
LSU starting safety A.J. Haulcy will be suspended for the first half against No. 9 Clemson on Saturday night because he was ejected from his last game at Houston last season for fighting, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
LSU had been awaiting clarification on Haulcy’s automatic suspension with hopes that it would be ruled that Haulcy was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, which does not mean an automatic suspension for the first half of the next game. But Haulcy’s ejection was always for fighting in the fourth quarter of a loss at Baylor last season, despite the game official in the Big 12 game announcing initially that it was for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Video of the fight below clearly shows Haulcy swinging and landing punches.
“In the last game of the 2024 season, A.J. Haulcy was ejected from the contest, initially listed as unsportsmanlike conduct but clarified postgame that game officials ejected the player for fighting,” ESPN’s Thamel said the NCAA told him on Thursday night. “Fighting carries an automatic carryover penalty.”
Kelly had said before Thamel’s report that, “we’re waiting for clarification on that.”
He later got NCAA clarification shortly before his weekly coaches show at TJ Ribs restaurant near LSU.
“Obviously, we’re dealing with the A.J. Haulcy situation,” Kelly said after arriving 20 minutes late for the 7 p.m. show. “The NCAA has upheld his suspension for the first half.”
Before that, LSU was still officially saying it was waiting on official word from the NCAA and ignored the report by Thamel, who is the best college football reporter in the country.
NCAA rules say clearly that a player ejected for fighting in the second half of a game must sit out the first half of his next game, which for Haulcy would be the Clemson game (6:30 p.m., ABC).
LSU’s A.J. HAULCY SHOULD MISS FIRST HALF OF CLEMSON GAME FOR FIGHTING
But LSU was hoping the Big 12 Conference, the SEC and the NCAA would change the NCAA’s previous ruling last November that Haulcy was ejected from the Big 12 game for fighting to unsportsmanlike conduct.
“We were informed of this situation on Wednesday,” Kelly said. “So, we’ll see where that ends up. We’re practicing him, preparing to play him. And we’ll wait for further guidance.”
What obviously hurt Haulcy’s case is the fact that the other player in the fight – Baylor wide receiver Darius Lassiter – saw his ejection listed as for fighting. And he was therefore suspended for the first half of Baylor’s next game last season, which was a bowl game. Houston finished 4-8 without a bowl, so Haulcy’s next game is Saturday night.
How could the NCAA allow Lassiter to miss the first half of his next game and let Haulcy play? It wasn’t going to happen.
Kelly and others at LSU are miffed that this news just came out just a few days before the game, limiting the time the team had to prepare for not having Haulcy to start the game. Well, that’s LSU’s fault for not knowing.
And some at LSU maintain it was planted by Clemson in a suspicious story published only today here.
Whether Clemson got the word out on Haulcy or not doesn’t matter.
The point is Haulcy was ejected for fighting in the Houston-Baylor game on Nov. 30. And by NCAA rule, the punishment is automatically the first half of the next game for said player or players.
And with the legions of staff members and analysts and film employees under Kelly, someone should have noticed that Haulcy had a pending first-half suspension on his record while LSU was recruiting and watching film on Haulcy after last season and after he signed as he prepared for spring practice.
You’re telling me no one at LSU knew Haulcy was involved in a very publicized fight at the time? Please.
Kelly was asked on Wednesday if it is odd or surprising that no one on his staff apparently knew that Haulcy got ejected after throwing punches at the end of the BYU game until Wednesday..
After smiling, Kelly said, “Yeah, I mean, so, you know, I think these are things that, you know, you hope that common sense plays a big role in this. Again, I don’t want to get too much into the details other, than the fact that we expect something here pretty soon. And we’re prepared to play without him, or play with him. And that’s just how we’ve gone about it. But I don’t want to get into too much detail. I think there’ll be a lot of clarity with this.”
It is very clear that LSU needs more common sense. Haulcy was ejected for fighting last season, and he misses the first half of his next game. Period. Clear as day.
Sure, it might be smart of the NCAA in the future to alert teams signing players via the portal who have pending suspensions for the first halves of games for ejections or send reminders to the teams with such returning players.
Then again, that is each school’s responsibility. Just flip on the tape of your new or returning player, as if you’re not doing that anyway.
Kick-off isn’t even here yet, and LSU has already fumbled.
If Clemson planted this, it only means those Tigers are on the top of their game more.
Be the first to comment