Ryan Humphrey suspended for two games

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Notre Dame forward Ryan Humphrey will miss the first two games of his senior season as a result of a secondary violation of the NCAA's outside competition rule.

The 6-8 Humphrey, who teamed with Troy Murphy last season to lead the Fighting Irish back to the NCAA Tournament, was suspended because he participated in a pair of summer league contests in Los Angeles.

That violates the NCAA's 100-mile radius rule, which states that a student-athlete is only allowed to play in summer leagues within 100 miles of their school or legal residence. Humphrey, a native of Tulsa, Okla., played in the games while visiting relatives.

"I want to begin by first apologizing to my coaches, the university, and most importantly, my teammates," Humphrey said. "I'm embarrassed by this incident and take full responsibility for what occurred.

"I knew and understood the outlines regarding summer league competition, but when I played in the league in Los Angeles, I forgot about the 100-mile radius rule. It was an honest oversight on my part, but a mistake nonetheless."

Humphrey will miss games with New Hampshire (Nov. 16) and Cornell (Nov. 19). He will be allowed to participate in the school's first two exhibition games against International Select and EA Sports All-Stars.

"We're obviously disappointed that Ryan won't be out there on the court for our first two games," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "Although he did not violate the NCAA's outside competition rule intentionally, Ryan and I both understand that there are certain consequences and decisions that we have to live with regarding that mistake."

Humphrey heads into the season as Notre Dame's top returning scorer (14.1 ppg) and rebounder (9.0 rpg), numbers accumulated at the side of Murphy, an All-American who departed for the NBA after his junior season.