Another player departure jolts Penn State; wideout Kersey quits

Philadelphia, PA, United States (4E Sports) – Embattled Penn State has been hit with another player departure in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal with starting wide receiver Shawney Kersey leaving the team for personal reasons.

Kersey, a redshirt junior, is the 12th player to leave the program after the NCAA levied heavy sanctions against the university. Nine players have transferred while Kersey is the third to leave the team while staying as student at Penn State.

Kersey, the Nittany Lions’ most experienced wideout, started the first two games this season and had six receptions for 44 yards. True freshman Trevor Williams and senior Brandon Moseby-Felder will probably replace Kersey in the starting lineup.

“It was definitely a surprise to me,” quarterback Matt McGloin said. “We just have to focus on the people we have now.”

The NCAA has permitted players to choose to leave the team while staying at the school to remain on scholarship while those who opted to leave school before the season were granted immediate eligibility elsewhere.

“I don’t really know too much about Shawney,” cornerback Stephon Morris said. “All I know is the train can’t stop rolling. Right now we’re 0-2; we can’t really think about Shawney.”

The Nittany Lions received drastic sanctions from the NCAA as punishment for not reporting Sandusky’s child sex abuse of boys.

Penn State was fined $60 million fine that will go toward charities that support victims of sexual abuse, banned from bowl games for four years, lost significant scholarships and vacated all wins from 1998-2011.

Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of child abuse and currently awaits sentencing.

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