Things are just not going well in Minnesota athletics, as far as academics are concerned.
Less than a week after the report documenting improprieties in the Gopher men’s basketball program was released, hockey coach Don Lucia has suspended freshman forward Shawn Roed for missing classes and falling behind in course work, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported in its Thursday, Nov. 25 issue.
Roed, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s rookie of the week after a four-point weekend, will not be allowed to participate in practices or games until he has completed all overdue assignments, the newspaper reported.
The crackdown on academics was something Lucia instituted as soon as he arrived in Minnesota. Players are required to attend all classes, sit in the front row and remove their caps.
“[Lucia has] always made it real clear that academics are very, very important,” linemate and team captain Nate Miller told the Star Tribune. “It’s unfortunate, but it had to be done.”