CB signee Grimes will not attend FAU
By Chuck King
File this one under the category of "be glad it happened when it did."
JUCO cornerback Tony Grimes, who signed with FAU out of Arizona Western in February, will not be enrolling at FAU in part because of an incident which happened in May that led to his arrest, a source has told OwlAccess.com.
The Yuma Sun reported Grimes was allegedly part of a quartet of football Arizona Western players who took part in an armed robbery in Arizona. Here is the story from earlier this year.
While it's easy to be upset with Grimes for getting arrested, FAU fans should actually be thankful it happened before he came to Boca Raton. The incident allowed FAU coaches to review Grimes' character. They made the right decision by choosing to keep Grimes away from the Owls. There's no question Grimes has talent - he started for Ole Miss as a true freshman - but FAU coaches should be applauded in this instance for putting character above athletic ability. It's a decision that will likely pay off in the long run.
Grimes won't be the only signee who doesn't report.
Defensive end James Mathis out of Lowndes (Georgia) will be attending junior college instead of Florida Atlantic. There doesn't appear to be anything sinister here. Mathis will play football in junior college while attempting to boost his academics. Perhaps one day Mathis will be able to join FAU.