This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Not even the most devoted college football fan around here is as eager as the coaches for the season to start.
Off-field incidents and accidents are a natural hazard of the summer for every program, and Utah and Utah State have experienced their share of issues in the past week. The latest news came Wednesday, when Ute cornerback Dominique Hatfield was arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery, according to Unified Police.
Utah athletic director Chris Hill likes to joke that if the Utes are ever mentioned in newspapers in June or July, that can only be a bad thing. Disregarding our enterprising ability, his point is fair. Football coaches need breaks, and their players' summer conditioning programs are important. But if they could fast-forward the calendar, they would.
In Hatfield's case, an alleged victim claims that the athlete used a knife to extort money from him, after arranging to sell a video game console. Until formal charges are filed and the legal process plays itself out, none of us can conclude anything — except to say that the issue creates unwelcome stress for coach Kyle Whittingham and the program.
Hatfield is a rising star for the Utes. I would rank him among the team's top eight players overall, and a key component of one of the Pac-12's best defenses. Without him, the outlook of Utah's secondary would change considerably.
Hatfield's availability for the Sept. 3 opener vs. Michigan is not affected, until proven otherwise. We do know that Utah State receiver JoJo Natson has been dismissed from his school's program for a violation of team rules. Natson's presence was critical to the Aggies, who are trying to establish a consistent offense in 2015.
The irony is that he illustrated USU's adaptability the past two seasons. He thrived as a dynamic receiver, kick returner and even a rusher who took direct snaps as the Aggies pieced together an offense in the absence of Chuckie Keeton and other quarterbacks. He'll be missed, as one of USU's top five players.
In announcing Natson's dismissal, USU coach Matt Wells did not specify any violation. Natson had legal problems last summer, spending two days in jail during camp in August, but he didn't miss any games.
A clear distinction should be made between whatever caused the departure of Natson from Logan and last week's auto accident in Cache Valley that injured four Aggie defensive linemen (senior Travis Seefeldt remains hospitalized) and a former softball player. Yet the common theme is that when athletes spend the summer on campus and not all of their time is accounted for, the potential for trouble exists.
That may partly explain why BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall is deviating from standard practice in college football this summer by having his freshmen report in August. Last year, five BYU players including star running back Jamaal Williams were suspended for the season opener at Connecticut. Most of them apparently were punished as a result of a party in Provo that did not create legal issues, but rose to the level of team sanctions.
Nationally, summer incidents are not uncommon in football programs. Name a school — LSU, Notre Dame, Florida State, Arizona State, Clemson or San Diego State, among others — and you can find players who have been dismissed or suspended in the past couple of weeks.
College athletes reflect the rest of society. Problems occur, and they usually can be corrected. What's apparent is that a high percentage of the issues surface during the summer, when there's more idle time and less supervision. These people need some coaching, and soon.
Twitter: @tribkurt