ORONO – Game day finally arrived Saturday for the members of the University of Maine football team, providing them with a hint of emotional relief.

After a troubling week that included the announcement teammates and friends Stefan Gomes and Paris Minor had been suspended from school, taking on Rhode Island at Alfond Stadium helped the Black Bears take their minds off the situation, if only for three hours.

Minor and Gomes, starting junior wide receivers for UMaine, had been accused in June of sexually assaulting a woman in Old Town, but were never charged with committing a crime. The UMaine Student Conduct Code Committee held a hearing last Tuesday, determined the players had violated the university’s conduct code, and suspended them until May 31, 2003.

Gomes and Minor are not allowed on UMaine property without permission, but they were in the thoughts of their teammates Saturday afternoon.

Gomes’ No. 8 navy blue football jersey and the No. 9 uniform worn by Minor were displayed behind the UMaine bench during the game. Wide receiver Christian Pereira wrote the players’ names and numbers on the white tape wrapped around his left wrist as a tribute.

Pereira was in the difficult position of replacing one of his friends in the lineup, but was determined to do his job.

“During the week it was hard always thinking about it,” Pereira said. “I thought about them as friends more than I did thinking about football, what I was going to do, but it was a real relief finally Saturday to get to go out on the field and show everyone that I’m capable of doing just as much as they could do.”

The UMaine football team considers itself to be a large family. The young men study, play, and work together, sometimes for five years of the lives. The bond is a strong one.

“It’s a family here. And like in every family, if your little brother gets in trouble for doing something or gets accused of doing something, you stick by him,” senior Dave Cusano said after the 31-14 win over Rhode Island.

“Paris and Stef, we give them our full and utmost support,” he continued. “It’s been tough, it took away a little bit from the focus of the game, but today we got the job done.”

Cusano said that amidst the whirlwind of events last week, including the hearing, the suspensions and the subsequent announcement that Gomes and Minor are suing the university, the Black Bears were there to support their “brothers.”

“We made special efforts just letting them know, giving them a tap on the behind, just shaking their hand, giving them a hug, letting them know that we’re behind them,” Cusano said. “We wish those two guys the best. We’re a family and in a family, you don’t leave anybody behind.”

Senior quarterback Jake Eaton is happy UMaine was able to concentrate on the business of football and beat URI Saturday, even with the undercurrent of disappointment that swept through the team during the previous three days.

“Pushing football aside, they’re our friends,” Eaton said. “It’s an unfortunate situation.”

“I think we’re going to learn from this,” he added. “We believe hopefully we’ll get those two guys back and we’ll be even better from the experience.”

Through their attorneys, Minor and Gomes have filed an appeal of the suspensions levied by the conduct committee. UMaine president Peter Hoff is putting together a committee to consider the appeal.

In the meantime, Gomes and Minor have filed lawsuit in U.S. District Court charging the university with depriving them of due process during the conduct hearing. The suit also alleges the university acted with an improper motive because Gomes and Minor are African-American and engaged in a conspiracy to deprive them of their constitutional rights.

Counsel for the university contends the conduct committee acted within the bounds of UMaine rules under the student conduct code.