News-Record.com

Duke just sent out an announcement that its top linebacker, Michael Tauiliili has been reinstated. The junior linebacker had been away from the program since being arrested on Aug. 4 for a string of offenses - ranging from a DWI to hit-and-run and property damage - in a traffic accident.

The educated guess here is that something must have occurred to lessen the amount of trouble Tauiliili is in and that whatever that something was, it made Ted Roof feel comfortable enough to reinstate Tauiliili. Clearly though, as Roof made clear in the press release, the linebacker is not out of the woods.

"From the start, we wanted to reach a decision that is fair to Michael, our team, the athletic department and the university," Roof said. "We also will allow the judicial system run it’s course, and the outcome of that process could require further disciplinary action."

This originally looked like another preseason catastrophe (see Asack, Zack or injuries, critical) that have struck the Blue Devils with uncanny frequency in recent years. Now though, this may be a sign that Tauiliili's absence from the team will be a short-term one. He will, however, not play in the season-opener against UConn.

Tauiliili, orginally seen as a recruiting throw-in because of his friendship with star tackle Vince Oghabaase, has been the anchor of Duke's defense from his first game in royal blue. In 2005 as a true freshman he had 92 tackles and was named a Freshman All-America by The Sporting News. Last year he led Duke again in tackles, with 94.