Conference USA Suspends Blacknall
October 12, 2010 | Football
Oct. 12, 2010
IRVING, Texas (Conference USA Release) - Conference USA has suspended East Carolina football player Derek Blacknall as a result of a flagrant personal foul he committed against a Southern Miss player in last Saturday's game played in Hattiesburg.
The play occurred at the 11:24 mark of the fourth quarter when Quentin Pierce of Southern Miss was attempting to catch a pass and was hit helmet-to-helmet by Blacknall. Pierce reportedly left the game with symptoms of a concussion.
A personal foul was ruled by the game officials. Article 2 of NCAA Football Rule 9, Section 6 directs an automatic video review by the conference for possible additional sanctions before the next scheduled game, as protecting a defenseless player from a hit to the head has been a point of emphasis for the past few years.
The conference reviewed the play with Dave Parry, the National Coordinator of Officials; and Rogers Redding, the NCAA Rules Committee Secretary-Rules Editor.
Blacknall will be suspended for this week's game against NC State, Saturday, Oct. 16.
