Northwestern sheds little light on Venric Mark's exit

KENOSHA, Wis. A day later, the only thing clear about Venric Mark is that he no longer plays for Northwestern. He departed Camp Kenosha on Wednesday, much to the sadness of his teammates.

Its a family member our guys know and love, safety Ibraheim Campbell said.

Said quarterback Trevor Siemian: Were just praying for him and hoping everything works out.

The circumstances of his departure will remain murky until Mark addresses them. For a second day, he and family members did not respond to calls or text messages.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said he and Mark had a mutual discussion Tuesday night and Mark could have remained with the team. But it seems apparent Mark would have faced more discipline beyond the two-game suspension handed down to him in June for an unspecified violation of team rules.

Faced with the prospect of more punishment, the star tailback and return man opted to return home to Texas. Campbell said Mark told him he was going through some things at home and he needed to be closer to home. I told him we love him and whenever he is back in Chicago, he should hit some of us up.

Mark is one class shy of earning his Northwestern degree, and he can do that at another school and transfer the credit. Whether he also can play for the school as a scholarship athlete or walk-on is unclear.

Asked if he expects to get calls from schools inquiring about Mark, Fitzgerald replied: I hope so. Hes an outstanding football player and a terrific young man. Like I told him and his mom, well help him in any way we can. The challenge, quite frankly, is on him to speak up and reach out. We move on. The program moves on.

In that vein, Fitzgerald took the unusual step Thursday of announcing that four freshmen would play this fall, rather than being redshirted running backs Justin Jackson (Glenbard North) and Solomon Vault, defensive lineman Xavier Washington and superback Garrett Dickerson, younger brother of receiver Cam Dickerson.

Hes really athletic, a strong kid who blocks really well, Siemian said of the 6-foot-3, 250-pound younger Dickerson. They dont burn shirts for no reason, so the kid can play.

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Northwestern sheds little light on Venric Mark's exit