Illini suspend Jonathan Brown for one game
Illinois suspended sophomore linebacker Jonathan Brown for one game based on his actions during Saturday’s win over Northwestern.
Late in the second quarter, Brown appeared to use his knee to strike Wildcats offensive tackle Patrick Ward in the groin area.
Ward stayed in the game and Brown was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, but not ejected. Northwestern drove inside the Illini 10-yard line on the play, so the penalty moved the ball just 4 yards and NU scored on the next snap to take a 14-7 lead.
Brown is Illinois’ second-leading tackler with 30 stops, 2 sacks and an interception in five games.
He’ll sit out Saturday’s contest at Indiana (1:30 p.m., BTN). Brown was also penalized for roughing the passer against NU.
“We are extremely disappointed by what happened on Saturday and Jonathan knows that,” coach Ron Zook said in a statement. “We don’t condone that type of behavior in our program. I’ve talked to Jonathan and he understands that. He is a good person, a spiritual person, and no one feels worse about it than him. But he got caught up in the moment, made a serious mistake and must deal with the consequences.”
Illinois’ release also included a statement from Brown.
“I apologize to my family, my teammates and the Illinois fans for letting them down,” he said. “I also would like to apologize to the Northwestern team for my actions. What I did was out of character and won’t happen again.”
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald chose not to comment on the incident or the suspension at his Monday news conference. NU players shrugged it off.
“I don’t think any of us really cared,” tight end Drake Dunsmore said. “We didn’t see it. We were focused on what we’re doing.”
Jenkins grabs award:Illini wide receiver A.J. Jenkins was named Big Ten co-offensive player of the week, with Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, after a historic performance against Northwestern.The 6-foot senior from Jacksonville, Fla., had 12 catches for a school-record 268 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 38-35 victory.The 268 yards is fourth-best total in Big Ten history and Jenkins shattered the previous school record of 208 yards set by David Williams in 1984.Jenkins also had 60 kick return yards, giving him 328 all-purpose yards on the day. That is the third-highest total in school history behind Red Grange#146;s 402 yards against Michigan in 1924 and Mikel Leshoure#146;s 341 yards against Northwestern last year at Wrigley Field.OSU game set:The Oct. 15 home game against Ohio State will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and be televised by ABC.Illinois is ranked No. 19 in this week#146;s AP poll and is one of three undefeated teams in the Big Ten, along with Michigan and Leaders Division rival Wisconsin.