Ole Miss beat writer Riley Blevins is leaving the Clarion Ledger after just five short but controversial months in Oxford.
Some news: Ive made the very difficult decision to take a job outside of journalism back home in Chicago. Next week will be my last at theCL
— Riley Blevins (@Riley_Blevins) August 18, 2015
Blevins is famed with reporting the outlandish statements from Laremy Tunsil's stepfather earlier this summer that included allegations of NCAA violations which led to NCAA investigators poking around Ole Miss on the eve of what should be a wildly successful football season. The problem with Lindsey Miller's allegations is that even on its face his story seemed less than credible. Considering the serious consequences that could have come both to Tunsil and Ole Miss as a result of Miller's allegations, Blevins should have gotten a source other than Miller before publishing Miller's one-sided account. And then Tunsil's stepfather was eviscerated in court by criminal defense lawyer Steve Farese, which made the earlier Miller stories all the more regretful. The charges from Miller were later dropped, and the rest is history.
According to his Twitter statement, Blevins is leaving the Clarion Ledger for another opportunity.