With the start of summer camp less than three weeks away, Louisville is still awaiting the clearance of one of the most talented additions to its roster.
Head coach Bobby Petrino confirmed at the ACC Kickoff event Tuesday that Devonte Fields is still working to get academic clearance so he can officially join his football team. The Louisville Courier-Journal writes that “Fields... continues to take summer courses in order to meet requirements to be certified at U of L and by the NCAA.”
Petrino added that Fields’ legal issue will not impact his status with the program, which is set to open camp Aug. 6.
“That’s an ongoing process, and we’ve got two more weeks (before camp),” Petrino said of the academic hurdles. “You find out something new every day. ...
“The legal case has been cleared and everything dropped, but we’re just waiting on certification.”
In July of last year, Fields was involved in an alleged domestic incident with his ex-girlfriend. According to reports at the time, Fields’ ex accused him of pointing a gun at her; threatening to “blast” her while pointing the gun at her; and punching her in the face with a closed fist. All of that netted him a misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury charge; a dismissal from TCU; and a trial that was set for June 17 of this year.
In late May it was reported that, upon the completion of an anger management course, the assault charge would be dropped.
If Fields is academically cleared and actually takes the, well, field for the Cardinals, his new team will be getting a supremely talented defensive end with a couple of off-field issues outside of the assault charge.
A week prior to his arrest, Fields was named as the Big 12’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year. In 2012 he was the conference’s Freshman of the Year. His 2013 season was marred by a two-game suspension and, ultimately, a foot injury that limited him to three games.
In late January of this year, Fields claimed he was attacked, beaten and robbed by three male suspects, one of whom fired five shots from a handgun into the air. For whatever reason, Fields declined to press charges despite contacting police.
In February, it was announced that Fields would be transferring to the Cardinals.
