Hurricanes suspend 2 players ahead of opener

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes, just hours before kicking off the first season under new coach Mark Richt, announced the suspensions of two players.

True freshman wide receiver Sam Bruce was suspended for the first three games of the season, and sophomore defensive lineman Gerald Willis was suspended for the opener against Florida A&M for violations of team rules.

Bruce entered college after a controversy in high school this past February. 

He withdrew from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale after allegations that he appeared in a photograph while holding a gun and used that photo during a dispute with an older Aquinas graduate over Bruce's ex-girlfriend.

Bruce's attorney told USA Today that Bruce "has an absolute right to possess a firearm under the Second Amendment of the Constitution."

"Totally legal," attorney Frank A. Maister said. "And there's no certainty it's a real gun. It might every well be a BB gun. There's not a story here. He's a great kid. He's got a great family. ... There was a dispute between Sam and a much older guy about a girl, and this 25-year-old guy, who I'm sure is the source behind all of this, threatened Sam, is what happened."