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Kansas' Earl reinstated
Posted: Saturday February 19, 2000 09:11 PM
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas forward Lester Earl was reinstated to the team after a seven-game suspension and will be eligible to play Sunday against Oklahoma, coach Roy Williams said Saturday. Earl had been suspended following his arrest for drunken driving in nearby Eudora last month. "There is never a right answer in these situations, but a seven-game suspension is a significant suspension," Williams said. "I think this is the first suspension of this sort that I've had to hand out in my 12 seasons here and I certainly hope it is the last. Lester understands that he made these mistakes and recognizes that there can be no others." Earl was arrested Jan. 23 after he was stopped for speeding about 3 a.m. in Eudora, east of Lawrence. Eudora police chief Bill Long said then that Earl failed a breathalyzer test and was jailed on charges of speeding, driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license. Earl, whose transfer from LSU in 1997 caused hard feelings between the two schools, also was arrested in August for missing a court date on earlier charges of speeding and driving with a suspended license. His career at Kansas has been clouded by the transfer, which came after he admitted taking money while at LSU, which was penalized by the NCAA in the case. Earl has suffered a series of knee and ankle injuries that have robbed him of his athleticism. He had played in just six games for the 24th-ranked Jayhawks this season, averaging 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds. During the suspension, Earl did not play in games or travel with the team, but Williams praised him for his hard work in practice and in his continuing efforts to rehabilitate his knee. Williams was particularly pleased with the way Earl has challenged freshman Drew Gooden in practice. Earl, who has lost his leaping ability but remains a strong inside defender, missed 11 straight games in December and January after aggravating his knee injury.
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