Ray-Ray Armstrong, Dismissed By Miami, Drops Plans For Legal Action

Former Miami Hurricanes safety Ray-Ray Armstrong has decided to drop any potential legal action against the University of Miami, and will instead transfer to Faulkner University, according to ESPN’s Joe Schad.

Armstrong was dismissed from the team on July 18, which came weeks after speculation that Armstrong would be suspended. Miami’s coaching staff was unhappy with the fact that Armstrong discussed “interaction with a booster via Twitter,” and eventually opted to dismiss Armstrong from the team.

By way of background, Armstrong is a fourth-year senior who got booted from the Hurricanes most likely because of dubious use of Twitter, though he was also named in the Nevin Shapiro investigation. College kids are always going to use social media for dumb shit; you only need to look at Facebook photos that I forgot to untag for proof of that. Armstrong does appear to have a case that the pictures he tweeted do not show NCAA rule violations, but Miami does not want to chance fielding an ineligible player with the NCAA already set to crush the program over Shapiro.

Armstrong is no scrub; he is a Bednarik finalist who expected to spend his senior year building his NFL Draft stock. So he was understandably angry when he got dinged. Like any angry person, Armstrong lawyered up, and he’s going to sue Miami for dismissing him without reason and demand the court put him back on the football team. But as Ice-T taught us, don’t hate the player, hate the game. Miami has every right to dismiss Armstrong from the team. Rather, it’s the NCAA, the organization that Miami is complicit with, the people setting the idiotic transfer rules, that’s in the wrong. If Ray-Ray Armstrong wants justice, he’ll sue the NCAA.

Miami, you’ll recall, is about to get flagellated by the NCAA for the Nevin Shapiro adventure. Armstrong was one of the players named in that investigation early on, so cutting him loose for infractions that may not all have been directly related could be viewed as a burnt offering to the NCAA, if you’re of a certain mind.

One perspective on the matter, via The 7th Floor:

Just days ago, he was named to the Bednarik Award watch list, which goes to the nation’s top defensive back after the season. Last year he finished third among Miami’s returning defensive backs in tackles, picking off four passes in the last two seasons.

The exit continues another rough offseason for the Canes, which sort of began when multiple players were suspended last offseason due to the Nevin Shapiro ordeal. A mass exodus of NFL Draft early declarations and now this, and Miami’s depth is becoming a bigger concern by the news item.