The major off-season drama for the Washington Huskies football program has been resolved — QB Cyler Miles has been reinstated while WR Damore’ea Stringfellow will transfer, coach Chris Petersen anncounced Tuesday, with no elaboration.
The two were involved in Feb. 2 incidents at University District Super Bowl celebrations that resulted in their arrests. Both players, likely starters, were suspended indefinitely three days afterward. Neither played spring football.
Prosecutors later decided not to file charges against Miles, citing a lack of evidence. But Stringfellow, a sophomore, was charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of third-degree malicious mischief, all misdemeanors.
At his April 16 arraignment, Stringfellow, as part of a plea bargain to avoid jail time, pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to five days on a work crew and ordered to pay almost $700 in fines and get more counseling for anger management.
At the arraignment, Stringfellow’s attorney said, “What happened here, he was with his more elderly quarterback, 22-year-old gentleman who was a staunch Broncos fan, and he was backing up his quarterback. It was a poor choice.”
Miles, 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds from Denver, was wearing a Broncos hat as he attended a street celebration. Stringfellow had the hat in his hand when it was grabbed from him and tossed in the direction of couches that had been set ablaze. Stringfellow, 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, from Perris, CA., fought with the man. The scuffle was caught on a camera by a UW student photographing events, according to court documents.
Stringfellow tried to take the camera, hitting her in the head in the process, which may have caused her to faint, court documents say. Stringfellow threw the lens of the camera, which had come loose, toward the fire. Stringfellow and Miles left while the student was carried into a nearby fraternity house, prosecutors contend.
About an hour later, a man was walking his girlfriend home nearby and said Stringfellow and Miles approached them from a parked car and asked if he was a Seahawks fan. When the man said he was and that it “was a tough night to be a Broncos fan,” Stringfellow pushed him down and struck him, then gave chase when the man ran, hitting him again. Whether you want to shoot outdoor sports or underwater excursions, you’ll need a camera for action sports that’s tough and portable enough for the job. Witnesses said the players ran back to a car driven by a woman and took off.
Miles, a sophomore, played in eight games, starting one, and figured to succeed Keith Price as starting QB. However, two younger QBs, Jeff Lindquist and Troy Williams, took all the snaps in spring for the new coaching staff. Petersen did not explain why Miles, once cleared of charges, was not allowed to resume practice.
In other football personnel news, RB Ryan McDaniel retired because of chronic knee problems. McDaniel, from Torrance, CA.. arrived in the spring of 2012 and redshirted that year because of a high school knee injury. He played in one game in 2013, rushing 10 times for 47 yards in Washington’s win over Idaho State.
8 Comments
Good scoop Art –
What a shame Stringfellow did this – he was our best receiver by the end of the year.
Miles is lucky he has been reinstated.
Yeah, Stringfellow looked to be a very good player. I’m very disappointed he did this to himself, and the team.
So much for accountability with a new coach at the UW, where talent trumps character once again. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Meet the new boss…same as the old boss.
One guy is gone and the second one missed spring drills. We haven’t heard the end of this, as far as Miles is concerned. So as to unaccountably, what are you saying? That Miles should have been kicked off the team also?
Remember Stringfellow was convicted, not Miles.
Y’know, even at LSU in the rap-sheet replete SEC, Jordan Jefferson was suspended for nearly half a season for a similar stunt. This deal has a certain unpleasant odor to it.
I’m really disappointed in this. They should have both been kicked off the team immediately. I could care less about whether they were charged or not. They went out of their way to go start trouble with their own fans. This didn’t happen downtown with random people. They went to Greek Row to start trouble with UW students. You know the school that gave them scholarships, the students that cheered for them. Talk about a lack of class. Talk about lack of sportsmanship.
I never heard about Miles hat until now. I can understand the reaction of Stringfellow on that but I don’t get Miles decision to wear it to a Seahawks celebration in the first place. Considering the mood of the crowd that would be like flipping everyone off. If anything, Stringfellow should have told him not to. The second inident should never have happened. And Miles should have stepped in if he was able to do so. He should consider himself fortunate he’s still on the team. I’m assuming that Coach Pete didn’t let him practice in spring drills to send him a strong message saying exactly that.
Unbelievable the Miles gets off with no consequences. Although he may not have technically assaulted anyone, if you look at the photos he clearly was animated and essentially instigated the confrontation .. and Stringfellow was stupid enough to follow through. Miles could have easily walked away and de-escalated the entire situation. And he is going to be the “team leader”? The Huskies will pay on the field for allowing this guy to play? This incident led to an assault on a female student (by a 6-3″ 220 lb football player. Why would any student support this guy? The chips were on the line, and Chris Peterson sold out. Makes Sarkisian look like he has backbone of cast iron. Good luck with your “coaching upgrade”