Purify suspended for season opener
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraska standout wide receiver Maurice Purify will be suspended for the Sept. 1 season opener against Nevada, Husker coach Bill Callahan announced Friday.
The coach and player met Friday afternoon, two days after Purify was sentenced to one year of probation and fined $1,250 as a result of two recent arrests. A 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior, Purify has been reinstated to the team and will participate in the final week of informal summer workouts beginning Monday, and will report to fall camp Aug. 5 as part of the Huskers’ official 105-man roster.
“I believe that (Purify) has made a sincere effort to redeem himself and move forward in a positive direction,” Callahan said in a prepared statement. “During his suspension from our program these past six weeks he has complied with all of the requirements imposed upon him by the legal system, the general expectations of a student-athlete in our program, and the specific additional conditions demanded of him as a result of his actions.
“Our primary concern for Maurice continues to be his personal well-being and we will continue to be pro-active in that regard.”
Reached on his cell phone Friday night, Purify declined comment.
In addition to the one-game suspension, Callahan said, “Purify will face continued additional discipline within our football program, including extensive community service starting immediately and continuing throughout the entire season.”
As long as Purify meets the guidelines of his legal probation and the stipulations set forth by the coaching staff, he will be allowed to resume participation as a member of the team, Callahan said.
“Maurice will still be subject to any additional possible University Judicial actions, but those actions remain a private matter,” Callahan said.
Callahan was unavailable for further comment, according to a university spokesman.
On Wednesday, a Lancaster County judge sentenced Purify to the one-year probation and issued the fines in the wake of a DUI charge in June and three additional convictions stemming from an alleged fight in May at a downtown Lincoln bar.
The 21-year-old Purify, regarded as the Huskers’ most potent offensive weapon, reached resolution in court Wednesday with a plea arrangement that essentially covered both cases. He pleaded no contest to charges of DUI, assault, disturbing the peace and hindering arrest, all misdemeanors. The judge also accepted a plea deal that included dismissal of a second assault charge and a charge of refusal to comply with a police order.
In a prepared statement Wednesday, Purify said he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of both arrests.
During his probation, Purify won’t be allowed to enter a bar or any other establishment that primarily sells alcohol. He also will have to attend outpatient drug and alcohol counseling. Plus, for 60 days, he will have a device attached to his car ignition that will ensure he is sober before he can start the car — a standard procedure nowadays.
Purify had been barred from the team’s summer workouts, which began June 8. After transferring from San Francisco City College, he became the Huskers’ go-to receiver a few games into last season and finished the year with 34 receptions for a team-high 630 yards and seven touchdowns. Among his 34 receptions, 29 were good for first downs, and 14 of his catches went for more than 20 yards.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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