SWEENEY TO MISS 2006 SEASON

GREENSBORO, N.C., August 19, 2006 – N.C. A&T head football coach Lee Fobbs has announced that running back Brandon Sweeney will not play football for the Aggies in 2006. Sweeney, who would have been a senior this season, suffers from a kidney ailment.

 “Life is more important than football,’’ said Fobbs. “Brandon is a fierce competitor, he’s a young man who felt like he could help this year, but when I sat down with his mother and assessed in situation the decision was obvious. He didn’t need to play football this year. We would love to have him out on the football, but we would much rather have him live out the rest of his life.”

 Sweeney led the Aggies in rushing last season with 877 yards in eight games. He missed three games because of high-ankle sprain he sustained against Norfolk State on Sept. 10, 2005. Had he not missed those games, he would have been on pace to be one of the top rushers in the MEAC.

 The Division II transfer out of Clarion (Pa.) debuted as an Aggie last season in the Aggie-Eagle Classic on Sept. 5. He rushed for 150 yards on 32 carries and scored twice. His breakout game came against Morgan State, however. At FedEx Field, he rushed for 205 yards on 42 carries and scored four times in an overtime win.