Missouri Tigers Wideout Levi Copelin Suspended For 2014
By Derek Franks
Help Wanted: a wide receiver who’s talented, has experience playing at an elite level, and who can stay the heck out trouble!
It seems as though that may be too much to ask for.
On Tuesday, it was announced that one of the Missouri Tigers most essential role players for 2014 will no longer have a role on the team. Levi Copelin, a red shirt sophomore wide receiver, was suspended for all of 2014 for failing an NCAA-administered drug test last week.
Levi Copelin has a long season away from the game ahead of him after a suspension that lasts all of 2014. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
In a statement, Copelin says he took an over-the-counter nutritional supplement which is “legal and available to the public” but is on the NCAA’s long list of prohibited substances, which caused him to fail the test.
Copelin is the fifth player to start on the Tigers’ roster at their spring game to no longer be available this upcoming season. He’s the second wide receiver to be axed from the line up– although not as severely– as Missouri lost ace receiver Dorial Green-Beckham after he was dismissed by the university in April.
The second year receiver admitted he did not clear the supplement with Missouri’s conditioning staff before taking it. “This was a stupid mistake on my part, and I’m very sorry that I put myself and my team in this situation,” he said via CBS Sports. “This is a hard lesson to learn, as I never had the wrong intentions.”
With the latest revelation, weapons at quarterback Maty Mauk’s disposal for 2014 have dramatically gone down. Head coach Gary Pinkel will have to reach deep into his pocket to find players to fill the void.
There’s no shortage of talent on the roster. What the Tigers now lack in their receiving core, is experience.
Thankfully, it isn’t time to start pushing the panic button.
Mizzou has bolstered itself with the best running back tandem in the SEC, a very talented and experienced quarterback, and an offensive line that is expected to excel in 2014, all of which takes immense pressure off the wideouts and makes it easier for lesser experienced players to ease their way into the system.
I’m of the avid belief that a talented quarterback with true leadership in his blood makes wide receivers better, sometimes all-star worthy. Maty Mauk fits that description in my book.
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Like any player in an any situation like this, Copelin will be given a second chance, as he should. Hopefully he’ll do better with it than Green-Beckham did with his second chance.
“There’s nothing I can do except dedicate myself to representing me, my family, my team, and Mizzou the right way going forward. I’m very grateful to my coaches and my teammates for giving me a chance to overcome this.” Copelin said.
The Tigers begin their season shorthanded on August 30 when South Dakota State visits Columbia. Fortunately, Mizzou will have time adapt to its updated roster before its first SEC game, which isn’t until September 27 when it visits South Carolina.