New Mexico running back Teriyon Gipson can’t outrun a past incident which has been brought to the spotlight, and could continue to have an effect both on and off the field.
Multiple reports confirm Gipson was arrested in January while in Dallas on a pair of misdemeanor charges for marijuana possession and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Gipson had eight outstanding warrants for traffic citations and failure to appear in court when he was arrested.
Although the gun charge was later dropped, Gipson still has an Oct. 27 court date related to the marijuana charge.
Head coach Bob Davie said he would describe the level of his disappointment as one a parent would have, but said he will not overreact to the situation.
Davie said he spoke with Gipson’s mother over the summer about some speeding violations, but allegedly didn’t find out about the other issues until last week.
The family is reported to have hired an attorney to deal with the legal fallout.
Davie said he doesn’t agree with the way the situation was handled, but he understood the family’s decision and the factors that went into getting to it.
“I am disappointed that Teriyon — and, really, Teriyon’s family — didn’t come to me immediately with full disclosure,” Davie said.
After Wednesday’s practice, the head coach said he has a pretty good idea now of what transpired.
There will be a punishment for the running back, Davie said, but he would not go into details about what those might entail just yet.
Davie said most football programs across the country do not give total disclosure or make statements about punishments, and this one is likely to stay in-house as well.
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He said the one thing that is important to take away is learning from the latest developments, so players can make the right decisions.
Mistakes can often provide valuable life lessons if individuals choose to learn from them.
Despite missing last week’s game against Rutgers with an injury, Gipson still leads the team in rushing with 243 yards. He has found the endzone four times in the two games he has played.
Without Gipson, the Lobos still amassed nearly 300 yards on the ground, but missed the senior back’s 122.50 rushing average he posted in the first two contests against Rutgers.
Gipson practiced Wednesday, and both he and Dakota Cox are expected to be medically cleared to play after suffering concussions in the New Mexico State game.
Gipson has not been made available to the media since news of the arrest broke last week, but Davie indicated that the running back would play Saturday.
The Lobos open conference play at home on Saturday, Oct. 1 against San Jose State.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country, football, tennis, and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
