Three Illinois football players arrested on charges of residential burglary and aggravated robbery were dismissed from the program Wednesday.
Head coach Lovie Smith said Darta Lee, Zarrian Holcombe and Howard Watkins were no longer a part of the team. Their names have been removed from the school's online roster.
Lee, Holcombe and Watkins claim they were pulling a prank on another student in their on-campus dormitory when they allegedly donned masks and used a fake gun before breaking into the room two weeks ago, according to a report in the Champaign News-Gazette.