Warren Denied Scholarship Release
TALLAHASSEE - The clean break Brandon Warren apparently wants from Florida State isn’t going to happen, at least not for the time being. FSU coach Bobby Bowden on Tuesday denied Warren’s request to be released from his scholarship, meaning Warren will have to pay his own way if he transfers to the University of Tennessee as widely reported.
Warren, FSU’s fifth-leading receiver as a true freshman, left school and returned home to Alcoa, Tenn., earlier this month. He has missed all of FSU’s conditioning drills in preparation for the start of spring practice.
In a brief statement released by FSU, Bowden confirmed that he is refusing “at this time” to grant Warren a release. FSU officials declined further comment, citing student privacy rights.
A call to Warren’s cell phone was not returned. Deidre Warren told the Knoxville News-Sentinel that she and her son were “very disappointed” in Bowden’s decision and that they planned to appeal for Warren’s release.
To be eligible to enroll at Tennessee on a football scholarship, Warren will have to go through what could be a lengthy appeals process since he left school in the middle of a semester, forfeiting crucial credit hours toward NCAA eligibility requirements. According to FSU athletic department policy, Warren’s first step should be to file an appeal with Joe Beckham, the school’s NCAA faculty representative.
No matter the outcome of any appeal, Warren must sit out a full year if he transfers to another Division I program under NCAA transfer rules.
