ASU football head coach Todd Graham offered some insight during the evening session of fall practice Wednesday on the status of suspended freshman defensive lineman George Lea:
Todd Graham said DL George Lea will be suspended for the year for his off field incident. Practiced today with the team
— Devils Digest (@DevilsDigest) August 6, 2015
Lea will still practice with the team and will follow a plan of improvement in order to be reinstated
— Devils Digest (@DevilsDigest) August 6, 2015
Lea, who was suspended following his June arrest for reportedly violating campus gun policy, will be allowed to practice with the team this season and is eligible to use his redshirt year this season.
The 6-foot-2, 272-pound lineman was booked at the Maricopa County Sheriff's office on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary in the first degree and unlawful imprisonment after reportedly using a "BB gun" to intimidate a teammate.
The incident, which took place on ASU's Tempe campus, violated school policy.
According to Doug Haller of AZCentral, ASU Police said Lea walked into a teammate's apartment and pointed a BB airsoft gun, which was wrapped in a towel, at the teammate.
Police said Lea told his teammate, "I heard this is where all the the money is at."
A fellow ASU freshman football player who witnessed the incident told police that Lea was "probably playing around," but that Lea's actions and demeanor remained serious.
The University issued a statement on the former three-star prospect's arrest in June.
"Freshman football player George Lea has been indefinitely suspended from the Arizona State University football program after an incident that occurred Monday night on the Tempe campus involving a BB gun. ASU football players are held to high standards and are expected to exercise good discipline and judgment on and off the field. The ASU Police Department and the Dean of Students are investigating the matter and will take appropriate action, as warranted, once all the facts are gathered."
Lea has been with the program since January after arriving on campus as an early enrollee.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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