Dyron Dye Era Ends For Miami Hurricanes

After much speculation and NCAA investigation-related conversation dominating his time in Coral Gables, defensive end Dyron Dye has officially been dismissed from the Miami Hurricanes football team.

Dye, who had switched back to defensive end after trying his hand at tight end, was recovering from an Achilles’ injury that required surgery this past spring.

Eligibility remained up in the air as Dye’s conflicting testimony remained at the core of the investigation and with the senior arguably sidelined this season – and with Miami waiting on the Committee On Infractions to rule any day now regarding additional sanctions, The U has decided that parting ways with the final player tied to Nevin Shapiro on any level seemed prudent at this juncture.

“The University of Miami has informed football player Dyron Dye that he will no longer be a member of the Miami football program. Given the totality of the circumstances and unresolved issues regarding the NCAA investigation, the University has decided to move ahead.”

Dye’s attorney Darren Heitner is crying foul, while showing some logic, as well. “He had to find out from me,” Heitner told the Miami Herald. “They didn’t even tell him.”

Heitner went on to state, “The action they took today basically ties our hands. It was a shock. He was not expecting that. All of us had the idea he would be ruled ineligible, but we didn’t think the university that spent so much time recruiting him, the university he provided his services for and played any position for, that he dedicated his collegiate career to, would basically say, ‘No thanks. We don’t want you anymore.”’

In a related AP story, Heitner stated, “The team decided that it doesn’t want Dyron to be a member because they determined he would be too much of a distraction. The one nice thing is that it won’t affect his aid. But as far as his future playing for the University of Miami, that door’s closed.”

Some are referring to Dye as a sacrificial lamb and blaming UM for cutting ties, while others are quick to remind Heitner that the defensive end is simply learning a harsh lesson and paying a price for mistakes he made years back.

While there’s definitely some truth in both, none of this should come as a shock. As always, no player is bigger than the program and right now the modus operandi of this university is to end this two-year old battle with the NCAA. Clear the dark clouds, get back to playing football, win some games and work towards a successful post-season.

As noted by Heitner, the University of Miami didn’t take away Dye’s scholarship. He’s simply not a part of the team anymore as (1) odds were that he’d have been sidelined due to ineligibility all season and (2) the COI is set to make a ruling soon and removing the lone player from the investigation could play into what said final decision is made regarding punishment.

Dye is no sacrificial lamb, but he’s definitely paying a bigger price that the everyday college football player who took a little more than he should have. All of the allegations against Dye took place upwards of five years ago when he was a high school athlete on a recruiting trip.

The Yahoo! Sports report, released two summers back, Dye was supposedly brought to the home of Shapiro by former Miami assistant coach Clint Hurtt. From there, Dye was said to have received a tour of the home, a ride on South Beach in Shapiro’s Mercedes S65 and allegedly spent the evening with two other recruits – Samford High School teammates Ray-Ray Armstrong, who signed with Miami and was dismissed last season, as well as Andre Debose, who would up committing to Florida.

Shapiro claimed to have given then-UM equipment manager Sean Allen over $2,000 in cash to show the trio a good time, by way of a night out on the town. Shapiro also claimed to have picked up a tab for the three at Lucky Strike Lanes the following day as they watched NFL games over lunch and after signing with Miami, Dye was said to have received some other “food, drinks and entertainment” at Shapiro’s mansion and VIP club access on occasion.

“Dyron Dye was in my house a number of times, especially when he inevitably signed with the University of Miami,” claimed Shapiro. “He was a regular at my house. I never gave him cash. He never saw the boat. But he was in the club with us.”

On one hand, in black and white terms, yes, Dye took “impermissible benefits” and that is a no-no according to the NCAA. That said, when looking at the ‘crime’ here, Dye was essentially driving seven or eight miles over the limit. It’s still speeding, but as other cars are blazing down the freeway, seeing someone nabbed for 52 m.p.h. in a 45 mile-per-hour zone seems excessive.

In the end, these actions, along with holes in Dye’s story – which were said to have been taken under duress as since-retired NCAA investigator Rich Johanningmeier was threatening Dye’s eligibility – have caused the senior’s demise and dismissal. (Note: Google and dig around regarding Johanningmeier, who was said on many occasions to be a bully and a power-hungry jackass, lending serious credibility to Dye’s claim of being threatened.)

The story is tragic on many levels. The fact Miami as a program, and so many current players who had nothing to do with this scandal, have been dragged through the mud, as well as a Dye, whose playing career at UM is now over – it’s heartbreaking on many levels. The NCAA is corrupt as ever, yet remains ‘business as usual’, while the collateral damage continues to spread.

Sure, Dye can continue his education at Miami and earn a degree, but he came to Coral Gables to play football, to win ball games, reach the post-season, build a career and to hopefully play at the next level, someday. Four-plus years later, little of that was achieved and now time has officially run out on the dream.

Dye can attempt to transfer to another university, as his former high school and college teammate Armstrong did, but the former safety’s bid was eventually denied and Armstrong wound up sitting out last season and signing a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams weeks after April’s NFL Draft.

At day’s end, these are all simply steps in a long process with a bigger picture and in situations like this, there is always carnage.

Hurtt, who left Miami years back and joined the staff at Louisville, was on administrative leave for the better part of this year, suspended back in April, but was welcomed back to the Cardinals’ staff a few weeks ago.

When connecting all the dots and knowing that the NCAA and COI have been working for almost two months on squeezing out a judgement regarding Miami – as well as one that will reflect on there for a botched, illegal and corrupt investigation – Dye’s fate was all but sealed.

The ineligibility. The lone player remaining from that era. The inconsistencies in his testimonies. Not to mention all the backdoor, behind the scenes angles that are worked for both Miami and NCAA to wind up with a deal that both sides can live with, avoiding litigation and putting this disaster in the rear view.

Speaking of litigation and lawsuits, at one point Dye planned to sue the NCAA over his ineligibility, further embroiling the University of Miami in a mess it wanted to be out of yesterday.

All of the best to Dyron Dye. In a word, this entire situation sucks, but even with the unfair punishment and fallout, at his core the young man knows he made a mistake. He’s paying a steeper price than his cohorts, but at the end it’s not always about the punishment – it’s about our acceptance and role in the ‘crime’.

Hoping that Dye’s collegiate career doesn’t come to an end here. While the free education provided by the University of Miami is noble, would like to see this football player land elsewhere so he can further his career and would bet the house that UM coaches are doing all the can to help open those doors.

Best of luck, Dyron and thank you for your service.

#IStandWithTheU

Comments

comments