LITTLE ROCK — If Michael Dyer is heading to Prairie View A&M, it’s news to his legal guardian and Prairie View’s coach.
Dyer, who was kicked off Arkansas State’s football team July 29 before playing a down for the Red Wolves, supposedly wrote on a Twitter account late Monday night that he was headed to SWAC to play for Prairie View A&M this season.
Questions about the legitimacy of the post arose Tuesday. Prairie View Coach Heishma Northern said he knew nothing about Dyer possibly going to the school, and Dyer’s legal guardian, Andre Dyer, said the running back from Little Rock “is staying right here.” It’s also unclear whether Dyer even controls the Twitter account where the message was posted.
Even if Dyer ends up at a Football Championship Subdivision program, it’s unclear whether NCAA bylaws would permit the former Auburn running back from playing this season at Prairie View A&M, which is an hour northwest of Houston.
“I have not talked to anyone on Mike’s behalf, and I’m pretty sure some of my players may have tweeted back and forth with him,” Northern said. “I don’t know if anyone on my staff has.”
Andre Dyer, the running back’s uncle, said there are no imminent plans regarding where the former Little Rock Christian standout will land.
“Michael’s not going anywhere,” Andre Dyer said. “When something moves, we’ll let you know. ... It’s out there, but it’s just games that are being played.”
Michael Dyer emerged as one the premier running backs in the SEC by rushing for 2,335 yards and 15 touchdowns in two seasons at Auburn and was named the MVP of the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.
Rumors of Dyer going to Prairie View A&M arose two weeks after Dyer was dismissed by ASU Coach Gus Malzahn for a violation of team rules. Northern said neither he nor his staff have taken steps to court Dyer.
“We haven’t had any NCAA clearance or any Arkansas State permission to contact [Dyer],” Northern said. “I have not had any permission to contact him about whether he was interested.”
ASU has given Dyer his release, making the running back free to speak with any school he wishes about continuing his playing career, according to an athletic department spokesman.
Dyer’s dismissal came about after the disclosure of a 59-minute video showing a March 10 traffic stop in White County where Dyer was pulled over for speeding and an Arkansas State Police trooper reportedly found marijuana and a registered handgun in the vehicle.
Malzahn has said Dyer, who transferred from Auburn in January after being suspended indefinitely, told him about the stop but denied the presence of drugs.
Dyer’s departure came four months after he testified in an Alabama court during the trial of a former Auburn teammate about providing a registered .45-caliber handgun used in a March 2011 home invasion that led to charges against four Auburn players.
In addition, Dyer told a Lee County Circuit Court jury that he also smoked synthetic marijuana, known as spice, and was invited by the three players charged to take part in the robbery.
If Northern were interested in adding Dyer, he said the running back’s “baggage” would require extra institutional scrutiny on the part of the Prairie View A&M’s chancellor and athletic director before bringing him on board for the 2012 season.
“We’re a school of second chances, just like many schools at our level, but we’d have to see what has been said about him, what he says about himself,” Northern said. “Somewhere in between, there’s going to be some truth from both ends.”
It’s unclear whether Dyer would be eligible to play this season in the wake of transferring for a second time in eight months. Under NCAA bylaws, a player is allowed to transfer one time and “is required to complete one full academic year of residence at the certifying institution before being eligible to compete.”
Generally, players who transfer from the Football Bowl Subdivision down to the FCS are allowed to play immediately, but because Dyer did not complete one year at ASU an NCAA waiver would be required for him to set foot on the field this season.
Sports, Pages 17 on 08/15/2012