Crum Suspends Two Players

April 24, 2000 / 7:41 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Louisville sophomores Quentin Bailey and Caleb Gervin have been suspended from the men's basketball team for the 2000-01 season for a violation of team rules, the school announced Monday.

"We are addressing the matter internally, including their future status with the team, and will have no further comment on the issue," Louisville coach Denny Crum said in a statement.

Bailey, a walk-on swingman from Louisville's Iroquois High School, proved to be the team's spark off the bench this past season, averaging 6.1 points and scoring five or more points on 19 occasions.

"I put myself in a situation that has affected my life, and now I have to pay for it," Bailey said in a statement. "I made a mistake that won't happen again. I'll use the year to concentrate on my academic studies and do all in my power to be reinstated to our team."

Gervin, a nephew of Basketball Hall of Famer George Gervin, is a sophomore from Palm Springs, Calif. He averaged 2.6 points in 20 games as a reserve guard.

"We all make mistakes in our lives," Caleb Gervin said. "I made one by using marijuana, and it will not happen again. I made a bad decision and now have to suffer the consequences."

A statement from the school did not specify what rules the two may have broken.

The Cardinals already were faced with replacing five seniors from last year's team, including the entire front line. They have signed three players for next season, including Ellis Myles, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward from Compton, Calif.; Luke Whitehead, a 6-7 forward from Oak Hill Academy; and Simeon Naydenov, a 6-7 forward from the Berkshire School in Miami, Fla.