Fuller's status is still up in the air
By Jeff Sentell| Staff Writer
Thursday, October 11, 2007

Calvin Fuller's status as a member of the Laney football team remains in question.

The South Aiken transfer is in his third week of enrollment at Laney. Fuller was not allowed to play on the South Aiken team he had starred on for three seasons due to charges stemming from his arrest on Aug. 7.

Fuller was charged with two counts of simple assault and battery stemming from an incident involving three young women. One of the reported victims was a juvenile described as having a "child in common" with Fuller.

Fuller signed a student-athlete policy at South Aiken that stated he could not participate in an extracurricular activity while charged with a crime. He needed to have the charges dropped or be cleared of the allegations in court to be reinstated to the team.

Fuller requested a jury trial in city court on Aug. 20. The case was still unresolved as of last week.

There is no policy of that sort at Laney. Laney coach Lemuel Lackey could not comment on Fuller's status. Fuller has been attending practice, but has not been a part of full team drills.

Fuller had a tribunal hearing scheduled Wednesday at the Richmond County Board of Education's Office of Public Safety.

"All I know is they called and said his tribunal had been postponed," Laney principal Dr. Hawthorne Welcher, Sr. said. "I really don't know what's going on with all of this."

Welcher did not know when the hearing would be rescheduled. He did say Fuller's playing status hinged on the tribunal.

"All I can say primarily is everything is pending the tribunal hearing," Welcher, Sr. said. "That's all I can say."

Fuller is not likely to be in uniform Friday at Screven County.

"I suppose it will be tough for him to play now," Welcher said. "I think he has to go through the tribunal before a decision of that nature will be made. And right now I have no knowledge of when that tribunal will happen."

Richmond County Board of Education athletics director George Bailey did confirm Fuller's initial paperwork as a migrant student had been submitted to the Georgia High School Association.

Those papers only allow Fuller to practice. It takes another round of paperwork that includes documentation of his residence status in the Laney district for a transfer student to obtain playing eligibility.

Bailey could not answer why Fuller was not practicing. He only had limited knowledge of the tribunal. He referred all questions about the tribunal to Board of Education Public Safety Chief Julia Porter-Stein.

Porter-Stein did not return a phone message seeking comment. The office of Richmond County Board of Education Superintendent Dr. Dana T. Bedden also didn't return a phone call seeking comment.

GAINS AND A LOSS: Strom Thurmond coach Lee Sawyer said Martavious "Pooh" Williams will be back this week.

Williams, the team's top receiver, had been sidelined by a knee injury and subsequent surgery during the preseason.

Sawyer also said junior receiver Javonne Brown has returned to the team. Brown had been suspended from the team for violation of school rules.

Brown had been charged with possession of a controlled substance.An investigation into the matter cleared him of the charges and allowed him to return.

Those two are top receiving targets for South Carolina quarterback commitment Aramis Hillary. But that offensive boost was stymied by starting running back Oquendo Curry's elbow injury.

Sawyer was not sure if Curry would return this year.

Reach Jeff Sentell at (706) 823-3425 or jeff.sentell@augustachronicle.com.

From the Thursday, October 11, 2007 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
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