Former Lakewood and USF offensive tackle Theodric “Thed” Watson, who had a tryout with the Giants in May but wasn’t signed, was arrested in St. Petersburg on Thursday night on a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.
Archive for September, 2008
Former USF Football Player Arrested for Possession of Marijuana
Thursday, September 4th, 2008Three USF basketball recruits fail to qualify
Thursday, September 4th, 2008 
Center Gene Teague, who signed with USF this spring but failed to meet NCAA initial eligibility requirements, intends to spend this year at a prep school with the hopes of returning to USF in 2009, his father said Monday.
Teague, who attended summer classes at USF and worked out with his would-be teammates, thought he had the necessary combination of grade-point average and entrance-exam scores. His father, Eugene Teague Sr., said Monday that one course — a religion class he took at St. Augustine Prep in New Jersey — was unexpectedly flagged as not counting as one of 16 classes that count toward an athlete’s core GPA.
“That just hit us over the head,” Teague Sr. said. “It caught everybody off guard. It’s a setback, but we’ll have to rise above it.”
Teague said his son is in the process of choosing a prep school he can attend for the next year, allowing him to improve his SAT score to meet the NCAA’s requirements. USF remains in communication with Teague, who would have his full eligibility remaining if he rejoined the Bulls.
“Coach (Stan Heath) said he has a scholarship for him if he gets cleared,” Teague Sr.
Teague is the third signee from the incoming class lost to academic problems, joining point guard Dwan McMillan — who could also return next season — and forward Teeng Akol, who has since committed to Oklahoma State.
With academic problems, Gilchrist finds home at USF, applies for hardship waiver
Thursday, September 4th, 2008
TAMPA – With Gus Gilchrist’s personal trainer, adviser and spokesman Terrelle Woody officially on the University of South Florida payroll, the school submitted Gilchrist’s hardship waiver to the NCAA so the 6-foot-10 center can play immediately and not be required to sit out a season after transferring from Maryland.
The appeal was submitted on Tuesday, the same day USF announced Woody’s hiring, USF men’s basketball coach Stan Heath said Tuesday night. The school expects to receive an answer from the NCAA in two to three weeks, USF assistant sports information director Jeff Wuerth said Wednesday.
Scandal Alert – USF hires unqualified “trainer/spokesman” of controversial star hoops transfer
Thursday, September 4th, 2008
TAMPA – When Gus Gilchrist, a 6-foot-10, 235-pound center, signed a basketball scholarship with the University of South Florida two months ago, the Bulls landed the most electrifying recruit in program history.
But in doing so, will USF also have to acquire someone else?
Throughout his dizzying basketball travels – at age 18, he already has attended two high schools and signed letters-of-intent with three universities – Gilchrist has been aligned with Terrelle Woody, 38, his personal trainer, adviser and spokesman.
Now, Woody is in line for a job in the USF athletic department, a non-coaching position that has not been advertised and for which school officials say “there is no record” of what the job might pay or what the qualifications are. Woody does not have a college degree.
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USF is experiencing a financial crisis. The university is eliminating 450 jobs – many of which are vacant positions – and plans to lay off 70 people, while reducing the budget by $50.4 million. The school also is reducing the available seats in some classes to counter a shortage of faculty positions.
“I hope the athletic department is not tone deaf for the funding problem across the university,” said Sherman Dorn, head of USF’s faculty union. “The question I have: Is this particular position appropriate?”