Matt Painter kicked Kelsey Barlow off the team today.
A week ago, Purdue was coming off back-to-back losses to Indiana and Ohio State. They were firmly on the bubble and in danger of missing the tournament.
But they turned it around with two solid wins over Northwestern and Illinois to improve to 7-6 in the conference and 17-9 overall.
Things are looking up, right?
Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter has dismissed junior guard Kelsey Barlow from the program and suspended guard/forward D.J. Byrd for Sunday’s game against Michigan State for a violation of team rules, according to a press release from the school.
“This is an unfortunate situation, but we will move forward as a program,” Painter said. in a press release. “We expect our student-athletes to live up to a high standard, and when their actions become detrimental to the program, there are consequences.”
What did they do?
The West Lafayette Police Department is investigating allegations that Byrd assaulted a bouncer at Where Else Bar early this morning. Capt. Gary Sparger said investigators are still piecing together what exactly took place outside the Chauncey Hill business and resulted in Byrd, 21, being arrested on suspicion of public intoxication. Sparger said he hopes to have the case forwarded to the Tippecanoe County prosecutor’s office sometime this weekend or on Monday.
And:
Sparger said Barlow, a former Indianapolis Cathedral High School star, had been at Where Else earlier but either left or got kicked out of the business. Barlow then came back, believing he left his wallet there. Where Else, however, refused to let him back in.
Barlow left and returned later accompanied by Byrd, teammate Robbie Hummel and other members of Purdue’s basketball team. This resulted in some type of confrontation, during which Byrd is suspected of hitting a bouncer, Sparger said.
What a mess.
February 17, 2012
B1G Blotter, Purdue Hoops