Dwayne Beckford Arrested: Purdue LB's Poor Choice Kills Boilermakers' Bowl Dream

The Purdue Boilermakers' mediocre season may be off the tracks again, as their star linebacker Dwayne Beckford was arrested Friday on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

This is terrible news for a program that finished the season 6-6 and still managed to play their way into the Little Caesar Pizza Bowl. Purdue will play Western Michigan on December 27 in Detroit.

ESPN shares details of the actual arrest:

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Police stopped the 20-year-old Beckford at 3:57 a.m. Friday because he was driving left of the center line and had his license plate wrongly displayed. He was arrested and had a blood-alcohol level of .14, above the Indiana state legal limit of .08.

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For this young man, he may have sealed his fate with this latest arrest. According to The (Lafayette) Journal & Courier, Beckford has had numerous dust-ups with the law and was even ejected from a recent game for throwing a punch. This latest arrest would be another piece of evidence about his lack of maturity.

Purdue needed Beckford more than almost any other player on their team if they wanted to beat Western Michigan, but the team’s leading tackler almost certainly will not play.

Beckford had 91 tackles this season, including seven tackles for loss and three sacks, to go with his interception and forced fumble, making him the clear defensive MVP of the team. As good as the star athlete has been, it’s Beckford's continued disrespect for the program and authorities that might not only have him sitting out this game, but kicked off the football team for good.

It is sad to think that one player’s poor decisions could cost a team a chance at a bowl victory, but that is exactly what Beckford just did. Without his talents on the field against Western Michigan, Purdue will lose in heartbreaking fashion.

Check back for more on the NCAA Football as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s College Football Page to get your fill of College Football.

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