Junior Andreas Platt, who faces criminal charges, has withdrawn from Elon, head coach Pete Lembo said Thursday.

Platt was expected to start at free safety for the Phoenix this season until he was arrested by Elon police for possession of stolen goods.

The item in question is a 26-inch LCD television that police found in Platt’s apartment.

Lembo immediately suspended Platt from football activities while Elon conducted its own investigation, one that is no longer necessary because of Platt’s departure.

“Anytime you lose a player that you’ve invested a lot of time developing, it’s a loss to the team,” Lembo said. “When things don’t go as planned it’s disappointing.”

Platt has yet to play a down as a Phoenix. After starting all 11 games for Duke University in 2005, Platt was dismissed from the team in 2006 for violating team rules. In 2006, he was not allowed to play for the Phoenix because of eligibility rules.

News of Platt’s alleged actions and his withdrawal from school was a shock to his teammates, coaches and professors.

“It was surprising to hear,” said Chris Bland, captain and starting strong safety. “He’s a great player and friend and I’m going to miss him a lot. But at the same time, we can’t dwell on it as a team and we need to step our game up.”

“In the year he was here, he was never late for anything and treated everyone with respect,” Lembo said. “Some e-mails I received from his professors were superlative to his performance and contributions to their classrooms.”

To make up for the loss of Platt on the field, Lembo explained that Bland, sophomores Nolan Ward and Walker White will play in a rotation.

Lembo also said that freshman Lonnie Burton is learning and getting better day-by-day.

Lembo hopes that fans and others will not judge the rest of his players for the actions of a few, but he still expects his players to act responsible.

“We got a great bunch of kids that do a great job of representing this university,” Lembo said. “But they have to understand that if they make a mistake, it reflects on everyone and student athletes need to be held to a higher standard.”

“At the same time, our constituents have to realize that these are young men that might make a mistake and then have to learn from those mistakes.”

Platt is the second Phoenix in the past year to leave the team because of “off the field” issues.

Last May starting quarterback Wes Pope was suspended by Elon for the fall semester because of an academic honor code violation.

Sports Editor: Jeff Rickel - 08/29/07