The Big Ten Conference announced today that it has accepted the one-game suspension of University of Illinois linebacker Jonathan Brown for violating the Big Ten Sportslike Conduct Agreement during the rivalry game versus Northwestern this past Saturday.
In case you missed it, Brown blatantly and very intentionally kneed Wildcats OL Patrick Ward in the, um, let’s say he hit him right in the Marvin McBucknuts. Watch the video here.
And the cheap shot/act of unwarranted aggression cost him the opportunity to play this week versus the Indiana Hoosiers.
University of Illinois head coach Ron Zook suspended Brown for the Oct. 8 game at Indiana for unsportslike behavior. In accordance with penalties established in Big Ten Conference, the league also publicly reprimands Brown for his actions.
Brown issued a public apology to not only Ward, but the whole Northwestern team. The NU players available at this afternoon’s media session had no comment except for senior TE/FB hybrid Drake Dunsmore.
“I just saw it after the fact and I saw Pat Ward jumping around,” Dunsmore said. “I don’t think any of us really cared [about Brown not being ejected].”
I asked NU head coach Pat Fitzgerald about it, and Fitz responded that he had no comment.
Zook’s public statement on the matter is below:
“We are extremely disappointed by what happened on Saturday and Jonathan knows that,” Zook said. “We don’t condone that type of behavior in our program. I’ve talked to Jonathan and he understands that. He is a good person, a spiritual person, and no one feels worse about it than him. But he got caught up in the moment, made a serious mistake and must deal with the consequences.”
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