BYU football: O'Neill Chambers suspended for season

PROVO — BYU junior wide receiver and kick return specialist O'Neill Chambers has been suspended indefinitely for disciplinary reasons and won't play or practice with the team for the remainder of the season, coach Bronco Mendenhall announced Monday night.

Chambers served a two-game suspension for disciplinary reasons earlier this year and was sidelined for the Nevada and Utah State games.

When Chambers returned from his suspension, Mendenhall said that Chambers' status could change at any time.

"The way this works is, this is a day-by-day, week-by-week qualification. As of today, everything is qualified. It could get to Friday and something might not be qualified because he has accountability of things he needs to do each day. Any time you see him out here (at practice) that means we're clean to that day. If for some reason he's not, that means ... it's something he didn't do."

After one of his first practices following the suspension, Chambers seemed more defiant than penitent. "I just came back the same guy," he said.

Asked what he did to receive the suspension, he replied, "Being a competitor ... It just made me more fierce. I've come back with more fire in my eyes.."

Chambers didn't catch a pass in the last two games — against San Diego State and TCU — since returning from the suspension.

Chambers had five receptions for 48 yards in five games this season. He did return 15 kicks for 316 yards and five punts for 45 yards. Last Saturday in a 31-3 loss at TCU, Chambers had five kickoff returns for 112 yards to become BYU's career all-time leader in kickoff return yardage with 1,612 yards, eclipsing Mike Rigell (1998-2001), who amassed 1,545 kickoff return yards.

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