Penn State’s McGloin sent to hospital after fight with teammate
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State starting quarterback Matt McGloin and wide receiver Curtis Drake were involved in a locker room fight after practice Saturday that sent McGloin to the hospital.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State starting quarterback Matt McGloin and wide receiver Curtis Drake were involved in a locker room fight after practice Saturday that sent McGloin to the hospital.
University police were sent to the Lasch Football Building to investigate the report of the altercation between McGloin and Drake, according to a statement issued by Penn State Saturday night. McGloin was taken to nearby Mount Nittany Medical Center for examination, was treated for undisclosed injuries, and released.
McGloin's father, Paul, however, told the Harrisburg Patriot-News that his son suffered a seizure and likely a concussion. Paul McGloin also said a CAT scan and MRI exam were negative.
Penn State said campus police and the Office of Judicial Affairs will "investigate the incident and report results as they would for any other student involved in an incident on campus." The university did not elaborate.
In the hours after the fight, the team met for about 10 minutes at the Lasch Building. Drake, a Philadelphia native and former star at West Catholic High, was seen entering and leaving the building for the meeting.
McGloin, 22, was not seen going to the meeting.
"Everything is going to be OK," left tackle and senior cocaptain Quinn Barham said in the parking lot outside the Lasch Building after the team meeting.
Details of the fight, including what sparked it and how it ended, were not released and no one was willing to talk about it - or the status of both players with the team.
Interim head coach Tom Bradley, who took over the team after Joe Paterno was fired Nov. 9, was not available for comment Saturday.
Last month, Bradley said he would not tolerate "out-of-line" behavior.
"I made it perfectly clear that if you step out of line, I'm coming down quick and fast and hard," Bradley said Nov. 15.
Bradley and about 12 to 15 players are scheduled to talk to reporters on Monday in connection with the TicketCity Bowl, which will pit Penn State (9-3) against Houston (12-1) on Jan. 2 in Dallas.
McGloin, a redshirt junior from Scranton, started the last five games for the Nittany Lions after splitting time with Rob Bolden for most of the season. McGloin played in every game and threw for eight touchdowns with five interceptions. He completed 54.1 percent of his passes and accumulated 1,571 yards through the air.
Drake, 20, saw an increased role in the last two games after battling injuries and academic issues earlier in the season.
Saturday's development came just a day after wide receivers coach Mike McQueary testified at the preliminary hearing for Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, two Penn State administrators charged with perjury and failure to report in connection with the child sexual abuse allegations against former assistant Jerry Sandusky.
Sandusky, Penn State's defensive coordinator from 1977 to '99, has been charged with 52 counts of criminal acts involving child sexual abuse. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday and maintains his innocence.
For a university ridden with scandal, Saturday's fight between two football players, one of them its starting quarterback, serves as more negative publicity and yet another possible distraction for its football team.
Later in the afternoon, for example, McGloin's Twitter account, @MacQB11, was taken down after some controversial tweets were posted on it. According to nittanylionsden.com, the account may have been hacked.
Before it was taken down, the account posted tweets - while McGloin was reportedly in the hospital - that at times were antagonistic toward Drake, mixed in with other posts that seemed regretful about the incident.
Saturday's fight was not the first time Drake's name has been connected to negative off-the-field matters.
He was cited for disorderly conduct in July 2010 after he was seen fighting downtown with then-basketball player Taran Buie. Then, after an incident on Feb. 26 of this year, Drake was among four Penn State athletes charged with disorderly conduct after a fight broke out in a downtown apartment.
After battling multiple leg injuries over the last two years, Drake showed glimpses of his potential in the last two games.
He was effective out of the Wildcat formation and also caught his first career touchdown pass in Penn State's 45-7 loss at Wisconsin on Nov. 26. Seeing action in eight games this season, he caught five passes for 102 yards with a touchdown, ran the ball five times for 52 yards, and even completed a 16-yard pass.