Iowa suspends RB Adam Robinson

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Iowa has lost a running back and suspended another for its upcoming appearance in the Insight Bowl.

Redshirt sophomore running back Jewel Hampton has left the program and sophomore running back Adam Robinson has been suspended from the team, coach Kirk Ferentz announced Monday.

"Jewel Hampton has decided to leave the team and plans to transfer to another school to complete his degree and finish his career," Ferentz said in a prepared statement. "We wish him the best of success in the future. While Adam has been cleared medically, he will not be participating in the upcoming Insight Bowl game as a result of failing to comply with team expectations and policies. Adam will have the option to rejoin the team when classes resume in January."

Robinson started at running back throughout the 2010 season and led Iowa (7-5, 4-4 Big Ten) with 941 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

Hampton appeared in two games before suffering an ACL tear in his knee. He missed the entire 2009 season with an ACL tear after rushing for 577 and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2008.

Ferentz and athletic director Gary Barta will appear at news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. ET Tuesday.

Monday's announcement comes in the wake of the last week's arrest of senior wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos on multiple drug charges. Hampton and Robinson are the only two players mentioned in Monday's news release, although more personnel announcements could come Tuesday.

Iowa announced last week that sophomore running back Brandon Wegher was seeking a transfer. Robinson's suspension likely means true freshman Marcus Coker will start at running back against Missouri in the bowl game.

Iowa opened the season ranked ninth and was 7-2 after a narrow win at Indiana. But the Hawkeyes dropped their final three games, including a 27-24 loss at Minnesota in the regular-season finale, to finish just .500 in the Big Ten in a year when many believed they might win the league title.

Part of the reason Iowa had such high expectations was that it opened the season with three talented sophomore running backs: Robinson, Hampton and Wegher. Wegher left the team for personal reasons in August and didn't play this year.

The Hawkeyes will play their final game of this disappointing season without any of them.

Adam Rittenberg covers Big Ten football for ESPN.com. He can be reached at espnritt@gmail.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Adam Rittenberg | email

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• ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
• Joined ESPN.com in 2008
• Wrote for Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald