Recruit confirms mom forged signature

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OXFORD, Miss. -- Floyd Raven says his mom was just trying to help when she forged his signature on a letter of intent to Mississippi on Wednesday morning.

Instead, she only caused confusion. He had decided to go to Texas A&M.

“

I wasn't home and she sent it in. I never told her I had changed my mind to Texas A&M. I forgive her for it. It was an honest mistake.

” -- Floyd Raven

"Long story short, my mom thought she was helping me out," Raven said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday evening. "I wasn't home and she sent it in. I never told her I had changed my mind to Texas A&M. I forgive her for it. It was an honest mistake."

Once Mississippi coach Houston Nutt learned that the letter of intent was forged he declined to get into specifics about the incident. All he would say was Raven's "mom really wanted him [at Ole Miss]. Mom wanted him here in the worst way."

Raven, a highly regarded defensive back who played high school football at East St. John in Reserve, La., said the Ole Miss coaches were "very understanding" during the dilemma.

Texas A&M confirmed on Wednesday evening that Raven signed a letter of intent with the Aggies.

"I just liked the direction their program was going," Raven said. "I got close with a few of their players and it just felt like the right place for me."

Mississippi athletic spokesman Kyle Campbell said the school had trouble reading the initial letter of intent sent by fax machine, so the school requested another. Raven declined.

Nutt said he considered the incident finished and wanted to focus on his incoming class. Ole Miss announced 22 signees on Wednesday.

"I want them to want to be here," Nutt said of recruits. "The one thing I know about the other guys' signatures that [our coaches] received is that they want to be here. We'll leave it at that. Good luck to him."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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