At the conclusion of an otherwise nondescript spring football practice last month, first-year head coach Bret Bielema ordered the University of Wisconsin players to run a series of sprints in Camp Randall Stadium, from sideline to sideline.
Bielema acknowledged afterward that the sprints were a form of punishment for several players’ poor “off-field” performance, presumably in the classroom.
On Thursday, Bielema sent an even stronger message by announcing that he had suspended defensive end Jamal Cooper for the season opener Sept. 2 against Bowling Green.