:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/19710489/152036780.0.jpg)
Chris Boyd is no longer with the Vanderbilt football program.
University officials announced on Tuesday that Boyd's actions were too much for the team to move past, acting to move beyond suspension and dismiss him from the team outright. Here's what Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs Beth Fortune had to say on the matter:
Vanderbilt's athletic administration, in conjunction with its head football coach, today dismissed Chris Boyd from the university's football team and athletic program. The action came after an ongoing review that included information disclosed during a hearing Sept. 13 in Davidson County Criminal Court.The review concluded that Mr. Boyd's admitted actions are clearly inconsistent with the high standards of behavior expected of our student-athletes.
Boyd, who was expected to team with Jordan Matthews to give the Commodores one of the NCAA's strongest receiving tandems, had 50 catches for 774 yards last season. It is unknown what his next step will be, although the redshirt junior still has the option of graduating in four years. Boyd has been attending classes at the university despite his suspension from the team, and it appears that the dismissal will not extend to his status as a student - though it will likely erase his athletic scholarship. EDIT: Boyd will remain on scholarship, according to Assistant Vice Chancellor for News and Communications Elizabeth Latt.
He will have the option to declare for the NFL Draft this spring if he does not choose to transfer from Vanderbilt to another football program.
Boyd is expected to be a key witness for the District Attorney in the rape and sexual battery trials of his four former teammates. He filed a conditional plea to being an accessory to a felony after the fact last Friday.