Missouri wide receiver Levi Copelin, a sophomore who was a potential starter, has been suspended for the season by the NCAA for using a banned supplement.
In a release from the school, Copelin said the "supplement is legal and available to the public, but it isn't approved by the NCAA, and as a result of using it, I failed an NCAA drug test. This was a stupid mistake on my part, and I'm very sorry that I put myself and my team in this situation. This is a hard lesson to learn, as I never had the wrong intentions."
He is the second wide receiver lost by Mizzou in recent months; the other is Dorial Green-Beckham, who transferred to Oklahoma after he was dismissed from the team in June.
Copelin (6-foot-2, 190 pounds), a sophomore, had three catches for 61 yards as a true freshman last season, which made him the fourth-leading returning receiver for the Tigers. Mizzou has lost its top three receivers from last season, and the lack of a proven go-to guy -- and the lack of depth -- could make life tough for new starting quarterback Maty Mauk. Mauk, coincidentally, is Copelin's roommate.
Senior Bud Sasser, who has 39 receptions and two TDs in his career, looks to be the Tigers' top receiver.
Mizzou signed four wide receivers in February, and it seems extremely likely that at least one will see appreciable time this fall.
Copelin has had other off-field issues. He was arrested in January on a misdemeanor peace disturbance charge after allegedly making threatening comments to a staff member at the campus student ID center, and he was arrested in October 2012 in the football stadium parking lot along with Green-Beckham on suspicion of possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana. In that instance, he later pleaded guilty to a trespassing violation.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
