Ole Miss suspends two players following shoplifting arrests

Published 6:38 pm Wednesday, August 2, 2017

OXFORD (AP) — Ole Miss football players Ken Webster and Detric Bing-Dukes have been suspended for the 2017 season opener against South Alabama after being arrested and charged with shoplifting.

Ole Miss coach Matt Luke made the announcement on Wednesday during the team’s preseason media day. He said the players would also do community service.

“We gathered all the information, I spoke with them and their families, and they will be suspended for the first game,” Luke said. “They’re also going to have some community service. They will be practicing with us, but they are going to serve a one-game suspension for our opening game.”

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Lafayette County Detention Center jail records show Webster and Bing-Dukes were arrested just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday. They posted bail about an hour later.

Both players are expected to be big contributors for the Ole Miss defense this season.

Webster, a junior cornerback, was a starter in 2015 who missed almost all of last season after suffering a knee injury in the first game against Florida State. Bing-Dukes, a junior linebacker, played in 11 games last season with three starts. He made 41 tackles, including three for a loss.

Luke also said Wednesday that sophomore tight end Octavious Cooley has been suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules, but is expected to return to the team “at some point.”

Luke said Cooley’s suspension was unrelated to the one involving Webster and Bing-Dukes.