Five Elon University freshmen student-athletes were reprimanded by their respective athletic teams after shooting paintballs at the house of President Leo Lambert late last week, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.
Three of the athletes were football players — wide receiver Jeremiah Bridges, defensive back Khalil Moore and defensive lineman Marcus Willoughby — and two were women’s basketball players — guards Jada Graves and Madison Wilder.
The athletic department said in a statement that, "The student-athletes in question were suspended for a violation of team rules. Suspension lengths are at the discretion of the respective coaches."
The university declined to comment on the matter, citing federal student privacy laws. The Office of the President also declined comment, and no police records were filed with the Burlington Police Department or with Elon University Campus Police. As of Monday, Oct. 24, the Maynard House on 2423 Pineway Drive did not have any noticeable damage on the exterior of the building.
Graves and Wilder were held out of the basketball team’s Late Night with the Phoenix scrimmage Friday Oct. 21. Both were seen watching from the corner by the locker room in Alumni Gym as the other 10 players were introduced and played in the eight-minute scrimmage. They are not expected to play in tomorrow's exhibition game.
Bridges, Moore and Willoughby were suspended from Saturday, Oct. 22's football game against the University of Richmond after all three were listed as starters in the depth chart. Head coach Rich Skrosky didn’t clarify whether the suspension was for just one game after the Richmond game, but the three players returned to practice Tuesday, and Skrosky said they are cleared to play for tomorrow’s game against the State University of New York at Albany.