Rick Stansbury announced Friday morning he dismissed freshman D.J. Gardner from the basketball team for “actions deemed detrimental to the team.”
The dismissal follows a series of controversial tweets Gardner, an Okolona native, sent out on Thursday. Stansbury announced Thursday during a press conference Gardner would be redshirted, which did not sit well with the freshman.
“These (sic) tried to (sic) me over. That’s why I (was) red-shirted,” Gardner tweeted. “But I wish my homes a great a** season… I don’t even know why I’m still here.”
The dismissal marks the fourth time in 2011 a scholarship player has left the basketball program. Elgin Bailey elected to transfer after ESPN cameras caught Bailey and Renardo Sidney fighting in the stands in Hawaii. Twany Beckham transferred to Kentucky in January, and John Riek left the team over the summer.
Gardner added more tweets before deleting his account, saying “I can’t stand liars and that’s all they did since I started being recruited.. R.I.p. To that contract I signed.”
In high school, Gardner starred at 1A Okolona High School, averaging 32 points and 10.3 rebounds per game and was highly recruited. In his press conference Thursday, Stansbury said Gardner knew he was behind in his strength and conditioning training.
“I think the first time he ever lifted weights is when he got here in June,” Stansbury said. “If you can imagine that.”
Stansbury banned his players from using Twitter after Ravern Johnson fired off tweets critical of his coach last February, but lifted the ban once the season ended. When asked if the ban would return once the 2011-2012 season got underway, Stansbury did not give a clear answer.
Gardner’s mother, Angela, told both the Clarion-Ledger and the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, D.J. hopes to enroll at another school this year.