On a Monday in mid-April, Syracuse football player Johnnie Morant slugged lacrosse player Mike Springer.

It was a regrettable choice, one that thrust Morant under the public spotlight when this paper reported the incident last Friday.

On a Thursday in late August, Morant played in SU’s season opener at Brigham Young. That, too, was a deplorable decision by the athletic department, one that essentially excused Morant’s reprehensible actions.

This weekend in an apologetic letter to The Daily Orange, Morant made good. The athletic department still has some work to do, though. It must suspend Morant for at least the next two games to give the wide receiver, who’s been in trouble before, his just punishment.

During Saturday’s 63-17 win over Rhode Island, Morant stood on the sideline dressed in street clothes while serving a suspension announced at gametime.

Later in the weekend, Morant, who had not previously commented on the incident with Springer, wrote a letter, dated Sept. 15, clarifying the situation.

“On April 15, 2002,” Morant’s letter stated, “I punched Mike Springer when he wasn’t looking, was not able to defend himself and without provocation. This was mistakenly reported as a fight. It was not.”

Morant’s right. It was assault. And everyday folks can get arrested for it.

Morant’s only punishment so far was a field-side seat to watch the Orangemen blow out their worst opponent of the season.

Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni wouldn’t comment Saturday on why Morant wasn’t suspended for the season opener or on how many games the receiver will miss.

You could say Morant sitting out a cupcake game is just another case of a superstar athlete getting superstar treatment, but let’s be honest: Morant is merely a good receiver on an average team that rarely passes the ball.

And the Orangemen surely didn’t need him to pummel the Rams.

“We put up 60-something points,” cornerback Steve Gregory said, “but you always miss Johnnie. He knows what’s going on, and we just want to support him as much as we can.”

Morant, a junior, might know his stuff on the field, but he has a history of witless decisions off it.

In June 2001, he gave a police officer a false name when he was pulled over for speeding. He’s also been suspended one game each of the last two seasons for academic reasons.

For his latest and most serious blunder, Morant apologized to his teammates, some of whom warned him in April to avoid trouble.

“He’s apologized since Day 1,” wide receiver David Tyree said. “He’s a man, and he knows he made a mistake in life. And he knows he’s paying his debt to the team.”

There’s nothing more Morant can do to atone for his mistake.

His brutally honest letter stated: “(Springer) was and is 100 percent blameless. … This incident occurred because of my immaturity. I feel terrible for my impulsive behavior. I was 100-percent wrong and take full responsibility.”

The athletic department, though, missed its chance to send Morant the proper message by letting him play at BYU and again Sept. 7 against North Carolina. Athletic department officials let the issue fester, hiding behind pursed lips and “no comments” before finally doling out Morant’s punishment Saturday.

And a one-game suspension isn’t going to cut it. Morant has sat out single games before for academic troubles — something clearly not on par with instigating a fight and punching another person.

Remember, too, that Springer, the man Morant sucker-punched, was suspended for the entire 1999 season for breaking into Manley Field House and stealing athletic equipment.

Morant’s letter concluded by stating that he’s resolved the events of April 15 with Springer and his family.

Morant showed the guts to publicly admit his wrongs. Now, we’ll see if the athletic department has any guts of its own, or if it’s just on the road to another regrettable choice.

Darryl Slater is an assistant sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear regularly. E-mail him at dpslater@syr.edu.

Published on September 16, 2002 at 12:00 pm