Advertisement
football Edit

Door remains open for Spielman's return to Nebraska

Nebraska’s already thin wide receiver corps was dealt a massive blow last week when head coach Scott Frost announced that senior JD Spielman had temporarily left the program due to a “personal health matter.”

With the abruptness of the news and the swirling rumors in the weeks prior, some felt that the star wideout might have played his last snap as a Husker.

However, Frost insisted that the door was still very much open for Spielman’s return following the team’s first spring practice on Monday.

Advertisement
Despite his abrupt departure from the program last week, Nebraska says the door is still open for JD Spielman's return.
Despite his abrupt departure from the program last week, Nebraska says the door is still open for JD Spielman's return. (Getty Image)

When asked about some of the offseason roster departures, Frost again made it clear that Nebraska was still viewing Spielman’s absence as only temporary.

“I wouldn’t call JD’s a departure,” Frost said. “We’re keeping tabs on him and wish him the best while he’s dealing with the things that he has to deal with. Hopefully, we’ll get him back at some point.”

Frost said he and the staff hadn’t made much contact with Spielman since he returned home to be with his family in Minnesota, and that was because NU wanted to give him space to deal with his personal issues.

But Frost added that he planned on reconnecting with Spielman later on.

“We’re kind of just backing off right now and making sure that he’s able to do the things that he needs to do,” Frost said. “I think there will be a lot of dialog down the road, but right now, we just wish him the best.”

For the players, seeing one of the most productive veterans on the offense suddenly leave the program was hard, but most understood that Spielman needed to take care of things much more important than football.

“Obviously I was upset,” sophomore receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “That’s my brother. We’re basically brothers, so if he felt like he needed to leave, I supported him. We don’t talk football at this point.

“It’s all, ‘Are you alright? Are you doing alright?’ Just making sure he’s there as a person more than a football player is what I’m more worried about than anything else.”

Advertisement