One of Tennessee’s SEC East opponents will go forward without its starting quarterback. New Missouri head coach Dave Odom has dismissed quarterback Maty Mauk.
“I met with Maty Mauk this morning and informed him of my decision to permanently dismiss him from the football program,” Odom said via a release on Thursday afternoon. “When I met with Maty back in December, I wanted to give him an opportunity for a fresh start, but I also made it very clear what our expectations would be moving forward. After gathering information and speaking with a number of individuals this week, it is clear Maty has failed to live up to those expectations by violating team rules in recent weeks.”
Mauk was suspended for the third time in four months earlier this week when a video circulated social media that appeared to show him snorting a line of white powder. Odom said that video turned out to be old, but other factors led to his final decision.
“As for the video appearing on social media this week, it is concerning, but we believe it is from a long time ago,” Odom said. “However, Maty’s failure to live up to expectations in recent weeks was the reason for this decision. We believe it is in his best interest to focus on his personal life and his academic career at this time. We remain committed to helping him work through the challenges and earn his degree. Our hope is that he will grow from this and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
Mauk started for portions of three seasons for the Tigers with his best year coming in 2014, when he completed 221 of 414 attempts (53.4%) for 2,648 yards, 25 interceptions and 13 interceptions along with 373 rushing yards. As a starting quarterback, Mauk beat Tennessee twice – once in 2013 in a 31-3 game in Columbia and again in 2014 in a 29-21 game in Knoxville. Rising sophomore Drew Lock, who the Vols beat in 2015, is expected to be Missouri’s starter in 2016.
