John Reed – USA TODAY SPORTS
The Louisville Cardinals got an unexpected surprise recently when the talented, but troubled former Auburn Tigers star running back Michael Dyer made his decision to play for Charlie Strong this fall.
Strong, by all accounts, was welcoming, but hesitant to fully embrace Dyer as a Cardinal without some stipulations. According to multiple reports, including the below, these stipulations have become more concrete as Strong has required that Dyer sign a behavioral contract to be able to participate this fall:
Louisville's Charlie Strong said RB Michael Dyer will sign a behavioral contract & there will be "zero tolerance"
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 5, 2013
This is a reasonable and well thought out action by Louisville and Coach Strong given Dyer’s shaky and volatile past which included multiple run-ins with the law for drug possession and his eventual dismissal from the Auburn Tigers,and what amounted to nothing more than a cup of coffee with the Arkansas State Red Wolves following another situation with Jonesboro, Arkansas police.
Louisville has its first legitimate shot at a National Championship run in quite some time and Charlie Strong has been the architect of the success the program has enjoyed the past few seasons. The Heisman Trophy campaign of Teddy Bridgewater won’t be a highly visible one, but will grow as he again puts up huge numbers this fall, numbers certain to be even better with a visible presence in the backfield like Michael Dyer to keep opposing defensive coordinators honest.
Make no mistake, however, Charlie Strong runs a tight ship and with a zero tolerance policy in place for Dyer’s behavior you can rest assured he won’t hesitate to put actions behind his words and release Dyer post haste should he encounter any more extracurricular difficulties.
Let’s hope — and assume — that given what amounts to a third chance now (something so few get in any walk of life, let alone sports) that Michael Dyer will take advantage of the opportunity provided and make the most of it.
If he doesn’t, it’ll be another promising career wasted. The ball’s now in his court.
Pardon the pun.
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Kris Hughes is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. You can follow Kris on Twitter, Google and Facebook.
