Cornerback Greg Reid, arguably Florida State's most important special teams player, has been dismissed from the team, according to a statement from coach Jimbo Fisher.
Less than a month ago, Reid was arrested near his home in Valdosta, Ga., and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license.
It was Reid's second arrest in a year. Last fall, he was charged with resisting arrest and perjury after he lied about a stolen scooter that was registered in his name.
The charges were later dropped.
It's a sad turn of events for Reid, who was weighing whether to enter the NFL draft last January and decided to stay for his senior season and better his draft status. Fisher even remarked that his star defensive player appeared to recommit himself to the team and Reid told the Orlando Sentinel in April that he had matured and wanted to make something with his football future.
"If I sit down and really think about it, I'm about to be 22 years old. I'm not getting younger," he told the paper. "There's no way around it. It's just being mature. … That's growing up and just being a man.
"I just want to build a successful life for my family back home. I know that right now, I'm the only person in my life who can do it and who can make that happen. I'm so close to it. I've got my foot in the door and I'm trying to make dreams come true."
While the loss of Reid will be felt in the defensive secondary — he had 120 tackles, four tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 25 pass breakups and three forced fumbles in his FSU career — the impact of Reid's departure will truly be felt on special teams.
Reid was dynamic on punt returns, decent on kick returns and always a threat to change a game during a change of possession. Coming into this season, Reid was just 313 yards short of Deion Sanders' all-time school record for career punt return yards.
Reid is a three-year starter and has a redshirt season available if he wanted to transfer to another FBS school and sit out per NCAA transfer rules. Or, he could find an FCS team and play immediately. The latter is probably his best option, especially with fall camps slated to open this week.
As for Florida State, the schedule, which opens with FCS opponents Murray State and Savannah State, allows the Seminoles a little time to sort out a starter at cornerback. Backups Tyler Hunter and Nick Waisome will be the frontrunners, but replacing Reid on special teams will be a much tougher prospect.
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