Arkansas TE Jeremy Sprinkle suspended for Belk Bowl

Arkansas senior tight end Jeremy Sprinkle missed Thursday's Belk Bowl against Virginia Tech after being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.

The Razorbacks announced the suspension shortly before kickoff.

SEC Country reported that Sprinkle engaged in shoplifting from a Belk department store in Charlotte, N.C.

Players on both teams were given $450 gift cards to spend at the store and Sprinkle allegedly attempted to take additional items.

Arkansas didn't specify a reason for the discipline in its statement from coach Bret Bielema.

"Jeremy's suspension has been known by our staff and players for several days so we've had a chance to prepare our game plan accordingly," Bielema said in the statement. "Throughout his career and this season as a graduate student-athlete, Jeremy has displayed numerous times the qualities we want to represent our program.

"We have standards within our family that must be upheld on a daily basis and unfortunately he failed to do that in the last week."

Sprinkle caught 33 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns this season. He is rated as the 11th-best tight end prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.