Standout guard Abraham suspended for 2011-12 season
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Karon Abraham, was leading scorer for Colonials last season
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Robert Morris standout guard Karon Abraham was suspended Monday for the 2011-12 season after his second alcohol-related offense in less than six months, head coach Andy Toole announced.
Abraham, 19 of Paterson, N.J., was cited for underage drinking April 23 in Moon Township, less than three weeks after entering a diversion program for a November DUI arrest in Coraopolis.
"Hopefully taking basketball out of the equation will help him focus on some of the things that are more important," Toole said.
The university characterized Abraham's suspension as punishment for a "violation of athletic department policy," according to a news release. Abraham was suspended four games last season after his DUI arrest.
Toole said he consulted athletic director Craig Coleman, university president Greg Dell'Omo, Robert Morris' Office of Student Life and the university's student code of conduct before suspending Abraham.
The suspension is a big blow to a team that came within three points of advancing to its third consecutive NCAA tournament. Robert Morris graduated just one player from last season's roster.
As a sophomore last season, Abraham led the Colonials in scoring with 13.9 points per game. He averaged 13.6 points per game -- also a team high -- as a freshman and nearly carried the Colonials to a first-round NCAA tournament victory against second-seeded Villanova.
In addition to his four-game suspension, Abraham missed the final five games of his sophomore season with a torn Achilles tendon in his right foot.
Abraham will not be permitted to practice with the team next season nor travel to road games, though Toole said he hopes he can stay close to the team by checking in frequently with coaches in the basketball office, keeping in contact with teammates and attending home games when possible.
After his suspension, Abraham will still have two years of eligibility remaining.
"We've done a lot of things to try to explain the opportunity he has in front of him," Toole said. "When he realizes how valuable that is again, he'll be able to get on the right track. But he has to make that choice."
Abraham was a passenger in a car that was pulled over at 4 a.m. April 23 on University Boulevard in Moon. He and teammate Anthony Myers, 20, of Washington, admitted to Sgt. Doug Ogden of the Moon Township Police Department that they had been drinking and were underage after Ogden detected the scent of alcohol during the traffic stop. The car was driven by Robert Morris student Emeka M. Chukwukere, 20, who was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana.
Both players will appear before the university's Office of Student Life judiciary board. Toole said Myers still faces punishment within the program.
Abraham was arrested Nov. 20, hours after he led the Colonials to a victory against Duquesne, when he failed a field-sobriety test after crashing a borrowed car into a parked vehicle and a moving vehicle. He entered a 12-month diversion program, which will expunge those charges from his record if completed.
First Published May 10, 2011 12:00 am
