Former wide receiver Belcher issues apologetic statement

Former IU wide receiver Damarlo Belcher had been dismissed from the IU football team only two catches shy of the all-time Hoosier receptions record and only four games shy of completing his fourth season in an IU uniform.

The senior hadn’t been heard from since he was dismissed from the football team. He broke his silence Monday, issuing a statement to the IDS.

“I’m sorry,” Belcher wrote in a text message. “I know I let a lot of people down, including myself. I take full responsibility for my actions because I could have gone about them in a better way. Me and (Coach Kevin) Wilson wasn’t seeing eye to eye on some things, but I respect his call. This is a lesson learned. I also want to say sorry to my teammates. I know I had a lot of young guys looking up to me. And also to my fans. I plan on finishing school and look forward to training for the NFL Draft in a couple weeks.”

Belcher, who was suspend from the Homecoming game against Northwestern on Oct. 29, was dismissed from the team on Oct. 31 for a “violation of team rules.” Belcher declined to announce the reason for his dismissal, but he denied it was a failed drug test.

— Justin Albers and Stephanie Kuzydym