Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter has been suspended the first two games of this season by the NCAA for accepting a $427.48 flight from an agent during the NFL pre-draft process, the school said Wednesday.
Carter withdrew from the draft prior to the deadline, due to toe surgery, and Tennessee said he repaid the money and “disengaged from the agent.”
Having an agent is no longer against NCAA rules at a time when schools can pay players, and thus these kind of suspensions have become rare. After Carter elected to return to Tennessee, the school admitted the violation. The NCAA imposed a three-game suspension. Tennessee appealed asking for leniency based on Carter’s situation, and the NCAA agreed to reduce the suspension to two games.
There was no immediate comment from the NCAA, while Tennessee issued a full-force protest on the ruling.
“Arion made the right decision for his future health and well-being,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said in a statement. “Our team stands behind AC and his family, and we can’t wait to be on the field with him during training camp next week.”
Tennessee opens against Furman, an FCS team, but its second game is at Georgia Tech. Not having Carter would be a big loss, especially as the Volunteers transition to a new defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles.
Carter, a senior, is a two-year starter for the Volunteers. He was named to the All-SEC third team in the preseason media vote last week.
Carter declared for the draft in mid-December, then reported to pre-draft training on Jan. 5, per a report Tennessee filed with the NCAA, and “immediately after the workouts began, he experienced pain and swelling.” After trying various treatment methods and getting an MRI, Carter decided to withdraw from the draft and undergo surgery.
The turf toe injury caused Carter to miss three games last year, and limited him in many others. He was playing most of the season at about 65-70 percent, he told media last week.
“Me coming back off my injury and ultimately choosing to come back to the University of Tennessee was a pivotal point in my life, I feel like,” Carter said. “I feel like I made the greatest decision I possibly could have made, wholeheartedly.”
