MISSOULA — The University of Montana athletics department announced Friday morning it has given senior running back Jeremy Calhoun a two-game suspension for violating the student-athlete code of conduct. The suspension comes one day before the season-opening game against No. 12 Northern Iowa.
The Missoula County Attorney confirmed to KPAX Calhoun was involved in a fight in downtown Missoula on May 5th. No one was arrested and no charges have been filed. But the UM student-athlete code of conduct considers some incidents a category one offense, even if the athlete is never charged. UM will not confirm the downtown fight is the reason for Calhoun’s suspension. But a category one offense comes with a suspension equal to at least ten percent of the season, which in the case of football equals two games.
Calhoun started all 11 games as a junior last fall, earning honorable mention all-Big Sky Conference honors while leading the team with 684 rushing yards on 158 carries. He was ranked No. 9 in rushing in the Big Sky, averaging just more than 60 yards per contest in former coach Bob Stitt’s offense. He posted a career-high 124 yards in a 45-33 win at Portland State, while rushing for two touchdowns in a single game on two occasions — the season-opening win over Valparaiso and the win at PSU.
The former all-conference selection from Long Beach Poly High School (Calif.) broke into the Grizzlies’ lineup as a freshman in 2015, rushing for 291 net yards, the third-most by a true freshman in program history. He led the UM running backs with nine rushing touchdowns as a sophomore before his all-conference accolades last season.
Friday’s suspension will keep Calhoun from playing on Saturday against Northern Iowa and the following week against Drake.
