Two Purdue Football Players Arrested for Theft

Sep 28, 2013; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver B.J. Knauf (83) runs after making a catch against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Ross Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Two Purdue football players were arrested on Monday on charges of theft. Redshirt freshmen BJ Knauf and Jordan Woods were charged with a Class D felony, per the Journal Gazette.

Both players were released on a $5,000 bond.

Knauf and Woods are both wide receivers. Knauf had 11 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. He also has nine carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. Knauf has also been effective in the return game with four punt returns for 20 yards and four kickoffs for 101 yards. Woods has yet to see any snaps on the field.

The two players were arrested at a Kohl’s department store, which likely means the two were shoplifting. The current rumor is that both players attempted to steal tie bars totaling $20 each. If this is indeed true, then a Class D Felony would be extreme.

Obviously this is not something that coach Darrell Hazell needs right now. His first season as head coach is going down in flames right now, and this is an unnecessary distraction.

First off, who the hell steals from Kohl’s? I literally have coupons in my junk mail right now and could buy a full outfit there for $10. When you Google Kohl’s, the first thing to pop up is “Kohl’s Coupons.” Either these two are incredibly desperate, don’t like the hundreds of dollars of team issued gear, or are complete idiots.

Regardless of why Knauf and Woods did whatever they did, both should be suspended by Hazell at the very least. This is not the kind of behavior that should be tolerated by a head coach or any program in the country. I say suspension because the legal system should be allowed to work itself out before outright cutting the two.

Hazell has talked about how important discipline is to him and now its time to make good on that promise. These two clearly don’t care about Purdue football if they are out behaving like this. If they even sniff the field in two weeks when Purdue faces Nebraska, then this program is a joke. If the charges are dropped, they should still be forced to sit out a game as punishment.

As for how this affects the team on the field, Knauf has had solid numbers this season. He is only behind running back Akeem Hunt in terms of all purpose yards. The team is thin at wide receiver and doesn’t have that many talented players who can catch the ball. Losing Knauf would further limit quarterback Rob Henry’s (or Danny Etling’s) options down field.

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