SEATTLE — For the second time since the end of the 2009 season, a key contributor to the University of Washington football team has been reprimanded by the Huskies after violating team rules.
Tight end Kavario Middleton, who would have been a junior in the fall, was dismissed from the team Tuesday. Middleton, who started 11 games last season and ranked fourth on the team with 26 receptions, had fallen behind Chris Izbicki on the depth chart during spring practices.
Middleton joins sophomore-to-be Andru Pulu in the Huskies’ offseason doghouse. Pulu, a defensive end and projected starter, was suspended indefinitely following an arrest for second-degree assault in March.
Middleton was considered the Huskies’ top recruit of the 2008 recruiting class. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end from Lakes High School outside of Tacoma was a starter as a true freshman but fell into then-coach Tyrone Willingham’s doghouse early in his freshman year. He caught just 12 passes that year after losing his starting job two games into the 2008 season.
Middleton appeared to be on the road to good things in 2009, starting on a tear while boasting about a new dedication to the game both in the film room and on the practice field. But Middleton’s sophomore season closed out quietly and Izbicki moved into the role of No. 1 tight end in the spring.
The announcement of Middleton’s suspension was made in the form of a press release, within which head coach Steve Sarkisian gave no specifics as to what rule was broken. Sarkisian said that he would have no further comment on the situation.
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