One of LSU’s starting defensive players will not be allowed to play in the first half of Saturday’s massive season-opening game against Clemson, and one report claims the Tigers are partly responsible for the disciplinary action.
A.J. Haulcy, who was expected to start for LSU at safety on Saturday, has been suspended for the first half of the game by the NCAA. The suspension stems from the transfer’s role in an altercation that took place in his final regular-season game with Houston last year.
Haulcy was ejected after he was involved in a scuffle in Houston’s 30-18 loss to BYU last November. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Mark Schlabach, LSU was informed on Wednesday that Haulcy is not eligible to play in the first half against Clemson.
Per NCAA rules, any player who is ejected for fighting in the second half must sit out the first half of the following game. If the ejection occurs in the second half of the final game of the season, the ban carries over into the following season. The suspension also carries over even if a player transfers.
The big question is how LSU was unaware of Haulcy’s suspension prior to Wednesday. As ESPN notes, Haulcy was initially ejected last season for unsportsmanlike conduct, which would not trigger an automatic suspension. Officials clarified after the game that the ejection was actually for his role in the fight, which does lead to a one-half suspension.
Houston received a letter informing them of Haulcy’s suspension in December, though Haulcy says he was not informed. He transferred to LSU in May, and the Tigers say they were never made aware, either.
There is also another theory, and that is that the suspension simply got lost in the shuffle before Clemson brought it to the NCAA’s attention.
Hunt Palmer, who hosts a weekday show on 104.5 ESPN Radio in Baton Rouge, cited an LSU spokesperson who claimed neither the school nor the SEC were aware of the suspension prior to this week. The spokesperson said that Clemson brought the issue to the NCAA’s attention.
If Haulcy was supposed to be suspended, then Clemson did not do anything wrong. The Tigers, who are ranked No. 4, are looking for any advantage they can get against No. 9 LSU. The timing certainly is suspicious, however, especially if LSU, the SEC and Haulcy were all truly unaware that Haulcy was supposed to sit out.
H/T Jack Mac
