COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri Tigers will be without receiver Levi Copelin this fall after the sophomore was suspended Tuesday by the NCAA.
Copelin was suspended for using a nutritional supplement not approved by the NCAA. He said he bought it at a local store.
"Unfortunately, I used it without clearing it with my strength coaches or trainers," he said in a statement released by the university Tuesday. "This was a stupid mistake on my part and I'm very sorry that I put myself and my team in this situation."
Copelin, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound redshirt sophomore from Broken Arrow, Okla., was No. 2 on the depth chart at Y-receiver behind returning starter Bud Sasser. He had three catches for 61 yards last season, including a 51-yard touchdown reception against Toledo. Copelin also had four tackles on kickoff coverage and blocked one punt.
"This is a very unfortunate situation, but one that Levi created for himself," Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said. "He's paying the price for this mistake, and I commend him for owning up to it and taking responsibility. Our strength coaches and trainers rely on our players to be careful of what they do on their own, and to always get approval from them first.
"We're disappointed that Levi didn't follow this guideline, but we will support him during this time, and have high expectations that he will handle all of his responsibilities in the classroom, in the community and on the field in a first-class manner."
Copelin was arrested earlier this year for a misdemeanor peace disturbance at the campus student ID center in Columbia. He also was suspended for one game in 2012 after being arrested, along with teammates Dorial Green-Beckham and Torey Boozer, on suspicion of possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana.