May 22, 2013
A star football player for the ECU Pirates has been suspended indefinitely after he was cited Thursday night by ECU Police for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
Head football coach Ruffin McNeill was made aware of the on-campus drug-related citation Friday morning involving senior running back Vintavious Cooper, and suspended him immediately.
McNeill says, "We have conduct standards in place and our expectations are that those are followed to the letter, especially by seniors who are in leadership roles. While Vintavious has been a model member of our program up until this point, no one is ever immune to the accountability process."
Cooper, who transferred into the ECU program from Southwest Mississippi Community College last fall after a notable prep career at Clinch (Ga.) High School, started eight of 13 games and rushed for a team-best 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2012 campaign.
