Florida sophomore Erik Murphy and freshman Cody Larson have been officially suspended from the team, coach Billy Donovan announced Monday.
The two were arrested in St. Augustine early Sunday morning and charged with third-degree felony burglary after breaking into a car, according to St. Augustine police.
“I’m aware of Cody and Erik’s situation and very disappointed with the news,” Donovan said in a statement. “The two are currently suspended from basketball-related activities. I’m not going to comment further until I have more information and get a chance to meet with both student-athletes.”
According to the police report, Larson, Murphy and Joshua Adel, the team’s head manager, were in St. Augustine to visit Adel’s family.
The three entered Scarlett O’Hara’s Bar and Restaurant as it neared closing time late Saturday night, saying they had lost a wallet.
Witnesses who worked at the restaurant said Murphy and Larson were acting strange, watching and encroaching on a female employee who was counting money. That prompted a bouncer to ask them to leave.
About five minutes after they departed, Larson and Murphy were spotted rummaging through a red 2004 Pontiac that belonged to a bar employee while Adel acted as a lookout.
Upon being detected, Murphy, Larson and Adel fled the scene in different directions. Adel was apprehended first and proceeded to call Murphy, who walked back to the parking lot.
The duo called Larson from the back of the patrol car and advised him to turn himself in, admitting in a recorded conversation they had agreed to break into the vehicle.
Upon inspecting the car, the owner said the driver’s door was unlocked, with the glove compartment and center console open, but he did not notice anything missing.
While Murphy’s conviction is his first offense, the incident could be far more serious for Larson.
The freshman, who redshirted last season, received two years probation and a 120-day suspended jail sentence in May 2010.
The sentence was the result of a February incident in which he shared prescription Hydrocodone pills with a teammate and inhabited a room where drugs were used and stored.
If Murphy or Larson were to miss playing time, it could have a severe impact on the Gators.
The 6-foot-10, 229-pound Murphy and 6-foot-9, 225-pound Larson are two of the three biggest players on the 2011-12 roster, a group that figures to lack frontcourt depth.
