It was reported Thursday that Syracuse had suspended safety Phillip Thomas, putting into doubt his availability for the Orange’s final two regular season games.
As it turns out, he will be unavailable for a helluva lot longer than that.
In a release, Syracuse announced that the junior defensive back has been suspended from the football program for one year for a violation of Athletics Department Policy. Of course, what that violation entails was not part of the university’s statement.
The official loss of Thomas for the rest of this year is a huge blow to an Orange team one win away from bowl eligibility; not only does Thomas lead the Orange in tackles, he’s also tops in the Big East — and tied for third nationally — in interceptions with six.
Because of the timing of the suspension, Thomas would not be eligible to return until this time next year; such a timeline would effectively end his Orange career. As he’s a third-year junior, he would be eligible to make himself available for the April NFL draft. However, as Florio noted via email, “don’t be surprised if the NFL delays his eligibility like they did with Terrelle Pryor.”
The former Ohio State quarterback would have been suspended for the first five games of the Buckeyes’ 2011 season, but opted instead for the NFL’s supplemental draft this past July. He was suspended for the first five games of the NFL’s season after being selected by Oakland Raiders.
