He won't get to play for at least another year, but standout
running back Ben Axon knows that he may have an opportunity
to return to football. And, if he does, it will be as an
Eastern Michigan University Eagles' football player.
Axon is a highly-touted player from Manatee High School
in Bradenton, Florida, who had signed a national letter
of intent to play this fall for the University of South
Carolina. But a traffic stop in May resulted in his arrest
on a misdemeanor charge for possession of marijuana with
intent to distribute.
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A SECOND CHANCE: Ben Axon, a highly-touted
running back who originally signed a national
letter
of intent to play at the University of South
Carolina,
is now an EMU Eagle. However, due to
a misdemeanor
charge, Axon will have to
maintain a clean record
and academic standing
for the next year to be allowed
to play during
the 2010 football season.
|
"He is a 19-year-old who made a very bad decision," said
Ron English, head football coach at EMU. "Since he
is a first-time offender with no prior issues with drugs,
we believe he deserves a second chance. It will not be
easy. He has to fulfill his obligations to the court and,
in addition, we are mandating that he sit out one year
and maintain a clean record and good academic performance
in order to play in 2010. He has handled this situation
with a lot of character. We think he will be a great addition
to the team, but we want Ben Axon to be a great student
at EMU before he is a great player for EMU," English
said.
Although academically eligible under NCAA standards, Axon
was not admitted to South Carolina and began looking for
another program willing to give him a chance.
"I understand the mistake I made and how it has and
could have affected my life and my ability to reach my
goals," Axon said in his admissions statement to EMU.
Axon entered a pre-trial intervention program that required
him to complete 50 hours of community service and submit
to random drug tests. Axon completed his community service
in five days and all of the drug tests issued came back
negative. Axon is on probation until Oct. 18, 2009, at
which time, if all terms of the probation are satisfied,
the charge will be dropped.
Given his background, Axon's application was reviewed
by EMU's Admissions Review Committee, which included
a thorough review of the situation including police and
probation reports, transcripts that detail his 2.7 grade
point average in high school, a statement and an interview
with Axon, and letters of recommendation from his former
high school principal and football coach who lauded his
leadership and work ethic (he was elected team captain
by his teammates at Manatee High School in 2008).
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound back was recruited by Clemson,
West Virginia and Purdue. As a junior at Manatee High School,
Axon rushed for 1,026 yards and 16 touchdowns, while racking
up 301 receiving yards. As a senior, he rushed
for 695 yards and 12 touchdowns.
ESPN ranked Axon as the No. 44 running back in the nation
after his senior season and he was rated the No. 54 player
overall in the state of Florida by Rivals.com. The Bradenton
Herald named him player of the year.
Eastern Michigan's 2009 football season began with a home
opener against Army Sept. 5 (a 27-14 loss) and a 27-24
loss at the University of Northwestern Sept. 12.
