Indiana Hoosiers Football

Another Big Ten rivalry game may fall by the wayside this weekend. 

Indiana announced Tuesday it has paused team activities "due to an increase in COVID-19 cases within the program." The Hoosiers have yet to make a decision regarding their game against Purdue on Saturday.

"The health and safety of our students, coaches and staff is paramount," athletic director Scott Dolson said. "In consultation with our medical experts, we decided this is the appropriate decision at this time. We will continue to assess the situation moving forward."

Michigan announced earlier in the day it canceled its matchup with Ohio State due to increased COVID-19 cases and contact tracing.

That means Indiana is potentially on its way to the Big Ten championship. Ohio State has only played five games, one short of the number required to compete for a conference title. If the Buckeyes can't qualify, then the second-place Hoosiers would get the nod despite having lost to OSU on Nov. 21.

Whether Indiana has the numbers to play in the Big Ten title game could become a question, though.

Any player who tests positive for COVID-19 has to miss a minimum of 21 days under the conference's health and safety protocols. If the Hoosiers were unable to take on Purdue, they might struggle to avoid having the same thing happening for a second week against Northwestern.

The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach spoke to a Big Ten athletic director who entertained the idea of rearranging the schedule so that the teams that can play have the opportunity to compete this weekend. That would eliminate any issues regarding Ohio State's status for the conference championship.

But Michigan is already off the table, Indiana might be the next to go, and Purdue canceled Tuesday's practice as a precaution to await COVID-19 testing results. The Buckeyes are running out of options within the Big Ten to reach that important sixth game.

Debbie Rucker, the mother of Indiana freshman offensive lineman Brady Feeney, provided a harrowing update on her son's health after he tested positive for COVID-19. 

Sam Blum of the Dallas Morning News shared the Facebook post:

Rucker explained "this virus hit my son very hard compared to most of his teammates." She said he went to the emergency room with breathing problems and is now "dealing with possible heart issues."

Rucker pleaded for others to take COVID-19 seriously and take the necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus, including wearing a mask and social distancing, adding "football does not really matter when your child's health is in jeopardy."

Tom Brew of Sports Illustrated noted the Indiana athletic department has not provided specific names of players who tested positive for COVID-19 but has released overall numbers of positive test results approximately every week.

The most recent update said 33 of 480 tests came back positive.

Indiana paused voluntary workouts for a week but has since resumed them for those healthy enough to participate.

Rucker did not blame Indiana for her son's condition, saying "his university has done everything right by shutting down workouts and retesting the whole team." 

Feeney arrived at Indiana as a 3-star recruit as part of the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Former Indiana football player Chris Beaty was one of two men shot and killed in Indianapolis this past weekend, according to David Lindquist and Justin L. Mack of the Indy Star.

"Beaty suffered multiple gunshot wounds in a shooting reported shortly before midnight on Saturday at Talbott and Vermont streets" and was pronounced dead at the scene, per Lindquist and Mack.

Dorian Murrell, 18, was also shot and killed in a separate incident. Police in Indianapolis have made an arrest in connection to one of the shootings, though it was not indicated "which shooting the suspect was involved in."

The 38-year-old Beaty had played defensive line for the Hoosiers from 2000 to 2003.

As Zach Osterman of the Indy Star noted, Beaty remained involved in the football program well after graduation and built a "strong relationship" with current head coach Tom Allen.

He had already been a local hero dating back to high school, helping Cathedral High School in Indianapolis win three state titles.

Beaty returned to Indianapolis after college and was managing night clubs while also founding the company Worldwide Masks, which created masks to help during the coronavirus pandemic.

His impact was felt in social media posts from a variety of local personalities:

Indianapolis was placed under curfew beginning at 8 p.m. local time after violence over the weekend.

The city was one of dozens in the United States with protests this week after the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died after since-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Chavin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen suspended tight end Peyton Hendershot for an indefinite period of time after he was arrested for allegedly entering an ex-girlfriend's apartment without permission and grabbing and shoving her.

The Associated Press reported the news Monday, noting Hendershot is facing a felony charge of residential entry and misdemeanor charges of domestic battery, criminal mischief and criminal conversion.

"(Allen) will continue to evaluate the situation pending further developments," a statement released by the team read in part.

This comes after Jon Blau and Laura Lane of the Herald-Times (h/t ESPN) reported the tight end was arrested Saturday and also allegedly took his ex-girlfriend's cell phone.

Police said Hendershot accused the woman of infidelity.

According to Scott Horner of IndyStar, "formal charges are expected later this week."

Hendershot appeared in 13 games as a sophomore last season and was second on the team in receiving yards, hauling in 52 receptions for 622 yards and four touchdowns for the Hoosiers.

Indiana Hoosiers tight end Peyton Hendershot was arrested Saturday and is facing a felony residential charge and multiple misdemeanor charges.

Jon Blau and Laura Lane of the Herald-Times (h/t ESPN) reported the news. The report cited a release from police that said Hendershot entered his ex-girlfriend's apartment without permission, grabbed her neck, shoved her and stole her cell phone.

The misdemeanor charges are domestic battery, criminal mischief and criminal conversion.

"Indiana University Athletics is aware of the arrest of redshirt sophomore Peyton Hendershot," a school spokesperson said in a statement. "IU Athletics will continue to gather facts, cooperate with and monitor the legal and administrative processes, and take further action as the evolving situation warrants."

The police said Hendershot accused his ex-girlfriend of infidelity.

The tight end appeared in 13 games for the Hoosiers during the 2019 season as a sophomore and was expected to be one of the team's biggest offensive contributors in 2020.

The Indiana Hoosiers have agreed to a seven-year contract extension with head coach Tom Allen following an 8-4 regular season, a deal that includes an average annual salary of $3.9 million.

The 49-year-old Allen addressed his new contract in a statement on the team's official website:

"I am humbled and thankful that President [Michael A.] McRobbie and Mr. [Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred] Glass continue to believe in our staff and the winning culture that we are creating. I love our staff and appreciate their tireless efforts as we continue to build this program into a winner the right way. Thank you to Indiana University, our fans, the Bloomington community and all of Hoosier Nation for their support. I am so appreciative of the young men who represent IU in such a first-class manner.

"We have a tremendous group of players. I am proud to be their head coach, and I am 100 percent committed to their success on the field, in the classroom and in life. It's no secret Indiana University is a special place to me. I was born a Hoosier, raised a Hoosier, and I am thrilled with the opportunity to remain a Hoosier for a long, long time to come."

Allen replaced Kevin Wilson ahead of the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl. After dropping that postseason contest in his head coaching debut, Allen went 5-7 in 2017 and 2018.

Indiana started the 2019 season at 7-2 before losing two of its final three games.

Three of the four losses (No. 1 Ohio State, No. 10 Penn State, No. 14 Michigan) have come against teams ranked in the Top 14 of the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Of course, the Hoosiers face the daunting task of having to go up against the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans on an annual basis in the Big Ten East.

Glass added the following of Allen:

"When I hired Tom to be our head football coach, I said I was doing so because he is a leader of men who is demanding without being demeaning, and a proven, successful coach on a national scale with deep Indiana ties who cares about his players, and they care back. In his three seasons, he has proven to be all of that and more, which is why I believe the future of Indiana football is in great hands."

Allen and the Hoosiers are headed to a bowl game for just the fourth time since 1994. The date and opponent for their postseason game is to be determined.

Sophomore running back Morgan Ellison was suspended from Indiana University for two and a half years and permanently dismissed from the football team on Friday, according to Stadium's Brett McMurphy. 

His dismissal from the team came on the heels of Indiana initially suspending him last week.

Per Marisa Kwiatkowski and Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star, an Indiana University panel determined this month that Ellison sexually assaulted a fellow Indiana student.

Ellison told the panel that the sexual activities were consensual, but through its findings, the panel concluded that he sexually assaulted the woman while she slept and continued to do so after she woke up.

According to Kwiatkowski and Osterman, Ellison hasn't been charged with a crime.

He was suspended from the Indiana football team in August for undisclosed reasons, but he had rejoined the team for practice shortly before his dismissal.

Ellison is a Pickerington, Ohio, native who was rated by 247Sports as a 3-star prospect and the No. 42 running back in the Class of 2017. He led the Hoosiers with 704 rushing yards and six touchdowns as a freshman in 2017.

Former Arizona Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Brandon Dawkins announced Wednesday he is taking a break from football to focus on his mental health.

Dawkins wrote on Instagram:

"The most important thing to me though has been the joy that the game always brought me. Over the last couple years I lost touch with that joy. I respect and love the game, but I have lost touch with it. I am not too proud to admit that I needed help. I am grateful for the sports psychology team at both Arizona and Indiana for helping me at some of the lowest points in my life. The game has [been] getting me depressed and hurting my well-being.

"As my mental health is deteriorating I have decided to take a break from the game. I know now that I need to take care of ME. I need to make myself important. I have not properly taken care of myself. Do I know what's next? Of course not, but I do know God has a plan that is way bigger than any plans I could ever imagine for myself. I hope you can respect my privacy during this time, and my decision."

Dawkins transferred from Arizona to Indiana after the 2017 season. However, sophomore Peyton Ramsey beat him out for the Hoosiers' starting gig.

On Monday, head coach Tom Allen announced Dawkins was leaving the program to go "in a different direction with his life," according to the Indiana Daily Student's Murphy Wheeler.

"We wish him nothing but the very best. He's a fine young man," Allen said. "I'm very excited about the two guys that we consider our top two quarterbacks and the work that they've done since they've been here throughout fall camp. They've done a tremendous job competing against each other and really doing a great job of putting themselves in position to win the confidence of their teammates and coaches."

During his three years at Arizona, Dawkins completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 2,418 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,582 yards and 20 scores between 2015 and 2017.

Former Indiana University quarterback Zander Diamont tweeted Monday that one of his coaches at Indiana once called Adolf Hitler a "great leader."

In the tweet, Diamont added that the alleged comment was especially offensive since he is Jewish:

According to Brad Crawford of 247Sports, Diamont left the program after his junior season in 2016 due to injury issues.

While Diamont didn't reference a specific coach in his tweet, Kevin Wilson was the head coach during his tenure with the Hoosiers.

Wilson and Indiana parted ways in December 2016 after an investigation into his treatment of players. Shortly before Wilson's exit, ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported a former player's father had told him his son suffered a concussion prior to the 2015 season and was rushed back into action, causing the symptoms to go "haywire."

At the time of Wilson's dismissal, Diamont tweeted that Wilson handled the situation properly when he was working his way back from a concussion.

Diamont played somewhat sparingly during his three seasons at Indiana, as he threw for 828 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions, while rushing for 513 yards and eight scores.

Former Indiana University head football coach Bill Mallory died Friday at the age of 82, according to his son, Curt Mallory.

Curt tweeted Thursday that his father underwent emergency brain surgery following a fall on Tuesday. He added that Bill had been placed in hospice care.

With 69 career victories, Mallory was the winningest head coach in Indiana University football history.

Mallory became the Hoosiers' head coach in 1984 and went on to coach the team for 13 seasons.

He posted a 69-77-3 record, took Indiana to six bowl games and was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year twice before retiring following the 1996 campaign.

Indiana Football tweeted a tribute to Mallory on Friday:

Prior to joining Indiana, Mallory was a head coach at Miami (Ohio), Colorado and Northern Illinois.

He notably led Miami to an 11-0 record in 1973 that culminated in a Tangerine Bowl win and a No. 15 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

In 27 seasons as a college football head coach, the Sandusky, Ohio, native went 168-129-4.

When he took over at Indiana in 1984, the Hoosiers had reached just one bowl game in the previous six seasons.

Although Indiana went 0-11 in Mallory's first year as head coach, he quickly turned things around, and the Hoosiers went to bowls six times in eight years from 1986-1993.

After his departure, Indiana didn't return to a bowl game until 2007.