Football team ready to put offseason behind it

Central Michigan head football coach Dan Enos said April’s off-the-field incidents involving four CMU football players will not affect the team’s focus moving forward.

Danel Harris, Deon Butler, Joe Sawicki and Austin White were arrested in April at the time of spring practice.  Enos did not comment then, but at MAC Media Day, he said he still believes his players possess a high level of integrity on and off the field.

“Our team is focused,” Enos said.  “We have great young people in our program.  They work hard, they spend a lot of time behind the scenes doing community service things, working with people within our community and really try to be ambassadors for our university.  I couldn’t be more proud of them.  As a coach, I enjoy going to work every day to be around our guys and I know all of our coaches feel that same way.”

Harris was arrested on a larceny from a vehicle charge and Butler on a receiving and concealing property charge.  Sawicki and White were both arrested on a three-count charge of manufacturing and delivering narcotics, possession and maintaining a drug house.

Harris, Sawicki and White were kicked off the team by Enos, and Butler remains suspended indefinitely.

“Young people make mistakes,” Enos said.  “That’s part of growing up.  That’s why I coach — to have a positive impact on young people.  Every day we are with our young men, we try and talk to them about making good decisions, being good people and about how one small poor decision can have an impact on the rest of their lives.  We’ve all made mistakes and we try to work through them the best we can, but ultimately, it is obviously disappointing when guys do things, but you know it’s going to happen and you have to deal with it the best you can for your football team.”

Enos said he had to send a message to his team that the coaches hold high expectations for the players.

“You have to send a message to people that you have to represent and do things the right way, and playing on a Division I football program is not a right, it’s a privilege,” Enos said.