Robert Marve Suspended
University of Miami quarterback Robert Marve was told Friday that he has been suspended for the season opener against Charleston Southern, his former high school coach and others confirmed Saturday. The suspension stems from an incident last year in Coconut Grove, multiple sources said.
Freshman Jacory Harris is expected to start UM's opener Thursday at Dolphin Stadium.
However, associates said Marve indicated that coaches reaffirmed their faith in him during Friday's meeting. Marve was told, according to multiple sources, that he has won the job as starting quarterback. He is expected to start Sept. 6 against Florida in Gainesville.
''Robert is upset. Robert's family is upset. We were having trouble seeing the wisdom of how an incident from last season is being handled,'' Eugene Marve, Robert's father and a former NFL linebacker, told The Miami Herald on Saturday by phone. ``But at the end of the day, we have to say that his actions created this.
``A swift punishment brings correction, and punishment delayed could bring bitterness. Hopefully, there will be a careful balance of punishment and support.''
Eugene Marve, who lives in Tampa, said he was told of the suspension and that the punishment was for one game only.
''I learned about it before [Saturday],'' Marve said without divulging to whom he spoke. ``The university notified me personally.''
A UM official declined to say if Marve has been suspended. UM has known about the Coconut Grove incident since October, when it happened.
SHANNON'S VIEW
UM coach Randy Shannon told reporters on November 5, 2007: ``We talked about it. At least the kid is being up front and honest with me about things. He talked to me, I talked to his parents, and we're all on the same page -- the parents, the kid and myself. So the disciplinary things will be something I can't talk about [publicly]. That's why I can't say what it is. The university's job is to help the kid out.
``Sometimes I think what we do is just throw kids to the wolves instead of helping them. He's still a member of our team.''
Shannon has not publicly named a starting quarterback, though he told the media Friday that he would reveal the depth chart Sunday.
Tampa Plant High coach Robert Weiner said Marve responded to news of the suspension ``in a very positive way. Robert is 100 percent a team guy, and whatever is the best thing for the University of Miami is what Robert wants to do. He will continue to support the team in whatever way he can.''
Weiner declined to comment further. Robert Marve was unavailable for comment.
Marve's attorney, Peter Heller, had no comment through his law office in Miami.
CASE CLOSED
Marve initially was charged with two misdemeanors -- resisting arrest without violence and minor criminal mischief -- after officials say he broke the mirror of a car and briefly tried to evade police on foot Halloween night in Coconut Grove. Marve became upset after having an argument with his girlfriend and was not aware a police officer was nearby. He was not taken to jail.
Later, according to Miami-Dade County criminal records, prosecutors decided not to pursue the case, and it was closed March 10, 2008.
One person not related to Marve but close to UM said coaches did not want to affect Marve's motivation level this offseason by telling him sooner about the suspension.
Said Eugene Marve: ``Robert has been counseled to stay positive and to look at all the positives that are before him right now.''
Marve set state records in completions, touchdowns and passing yards as a senior in 2006, won Florida's ''Mr. Florida Football'' award and led Tampa Plant to a state title.
He redshirted last season after sustaining hand and other injuries in a July 2007 car accident.
Harris, a first-year freshman from Miami Northwestern High, has been competing with Marve for the starting job. Harris was the 2007 ''Mr. Florida Football'' and led Northwestern to a state title.
Two sources close to the situation said several other players are believed to have been suspended for the opener for reasons that are not related to Marve's situation. Their names have not been released.
