UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel has dismissed from the football team the three incoming freshmen arrested on campus last week for felony theft.
The UCLA athletics department issued a statement Tuesday morning announcing Neuheisel’s decision to prohibit Josh Shirley and Paul and Shaquille Richardson from continuing with summer classes. They will also be banned from enrollment in fall quarter.
“The three young men know they made a terrible mistake,” Neuheisel said in the statement. “We expect our players to behave a certain way and there are consequences when they don’t. Paul, Shaquille and Josh are paying a steep price for their lapse in judgment.”
Neuheisel left open the chance that the student-athletes would be allowed to re-enroll in January if certain conditions are met, but the release also mentioned the possibility of additional punishment doled out by the Office of the Dean of Students.
“Whether they are allowed to enroll for winter quarter will be determined at a later date,” Neuheisel said. “That decision will be based on several factors, including their behavior.”
UCPD arrested the three players outside Hedrick Hall on Wednesday afternoon based on a report that they had allegedly stolen the personal belongings of a fellow student from the front of the dormitory’s dining commons.
The three men, all 18-years-old, spent the night in county jail. Paul and Shaquille Richardson were then released on $20,000 bail, while Josh Shirley was released without bail.
Although all three athletes were well-recruited out of high school, Shirley, a defensive end from Fontana, was the highest-rated, garnering a four-star rating from most recruiting agencies. Paul Richardson is a wide receiver and Gardena native, while his cousin, Shaquillle, is a defensive back from Los Alamitos.