West Virginia football has suddenly found itself dealing with a situation that nobody wanted on the schedule.
Assistant coach Noel Devine has been placed on indefinite leave after being arrested Sunday and charged with felony strangulation. Devine, 38, is now facing a serious legal matter away from the football field.
His bond was set at $40,000.
Devine is a familiar name around Morgantown. Before becoming a coach, he was one of the most exciting running backs in West Virginia football history. Now, his coaching career is facing an unexpected pause.
West Virginia brought Devine back into the program last season when Rich Rodriguez returned as head coach. Devine joined the staff as an assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst.
It was supposed to be a pretty cool reunion. Former star player returns, former coach returns and everybody gets nostalgic.
Then reality decided to interrupt the movie.
Devine, the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards, was booked into the North Central Regional Jail at 12:45 p.m., less than one day after West Virginia’s 52-7 win over UT Martin, according to multiple reports.
“Upon receiving information of the arrest, I have immediately and indefinitely put Noel Devine on leave from the Mountaineer football coaching staff,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Any future decision on his status will be determined after more information becomes available.”
Devine, who went undrafted in 2011 after leaving West Virginia, was signed by the Eagles that summer, but left the team less than a week later.
He spent multiple seasons in the CFL, then founded a speed training company in Florida before Rodriguez hired him.
“Noel knows how I run my program, and more importantly, he wants to give back to the place that has given him so much,” Rodriguez said last year.
“He knows Mountaineer football, and he will be a great asset on the offensive side of the ball.”
For now, Devine is on leave. His bond is set at $40,000, and the legal case will determine what happens next.
One thing is certain: this is not the kind of attention anyone in Morgantown was hoping to get.
College football already has enough drama.
Apparently, it did not need another storyline added to the roster.
