Wolfe refocused after lapse in judgment

The telephone would ring and Ryan Wolfe's heart would jump as if he just discovered that severed head from the bitehole in "Jaws." This went on for months, him not wanting to answer for fear of what news he might hear.

It happens when you might be charged in a criminal case for allegedly doing something extraordinarily stupid.

"There would be something wrong," Wolfe says, "if I wasn't scared straight from all of it."

Things are different now. Wolfe is a sophomore wide receiver at UNLV who on Monday was selected to repeat as a first-team All-Mountain West Conference performer, who has been picked by seemingly every publication nationally this side of the Summerlin News as one of the league's best at his position, whose talent is unquestioned and whose future appears as bright as lights that line the Strip.

Who should consider himself tremendously fortunate to still be playing.

It was April when six individuals with ties to the school's athletic department were charged in the alleged theft of thousands of dollars in merchandise from a local Abercrombie & Fitch store, a fate Wolfe avoided when authorities said videotape was not available of transactions made by him and teammate KC Asiodu, meaning proving a case against either would be more difficult than UNLV finding more than one team on its schedule this season it should be favored to beat.

It doesn't mean Wolfe's hands were clean. The complaint stated he received three items valued at $153.50 for no cost.

"We were very disappointed in him," Rebels coach Mike Sanford said. "He made bad choices. But he's a young guy and all of us did stupid things at one time. He made a bad decision and paid for it."

This much we know about Sanford as he enters a third season as coach: The Rebels are 4-19 under him and have been dominated to the point of being outscored 763-445 (and that's with a 44-point win against Idaho State) while going 0-12 on the road.

UNLV on Monday was picked to finish last in the nine-team conference this season (by a wide margin, at that) and deserves every ounce of doubt. You can't continue to win two games a season and expect anyone to believe beyond campus grounds change is imminent. It's on you to prove it, to alter outside opinion by still being bowl-eligible the second week of October.

But in how he handled the Abercrombie Caper -- swiftly suspending all players involved and publicly condoning the incident as an embarrassment to the program -- Sanford again was consistent and firm when punishment was warranted. His teams have yet to demonstrate they can compete on the field, but undeniably have been held accountable off it. It's not a motto used to sell season tickets, but an important one nonetheless.

For this, Wolfe served a suspension from all team activities of nearly four months before authorities chose not to charge him, and he was reinstated prior to spring practice. Until then, he worked out on his own. Ran on his own. Heard the phone ring and jumped on his own.

"It makes you realize how quickly you could lose the thing you love most, that we're very fortunate and privileged as athletes to have the opportunities we do," Wolfe said. "It put everything in perspective for me real fast."

He is just 20 and genuinely appears remorseful for his actions, never once offering an excuse for them. He can certainly play, having caught 55 balls for 911 yards and five touchdowns last season while being named the league's Freshman of the Year.

UNLV might be headed for another losing season, but it has a group of wide receivers that is the best among conference teams. Wolfe is the best of that group.

He has everything to play for, everything in front of him to never again do something so foolish and arrogant.

Sanford believes he won't, so much so that Wolfe is again listed in the team media guide this season as a member of UNLV's leadership committee, a group of players from all classes involved in determining team policies and issues regarding areas such as academics and off-field conduct.

"Ryan is a terrific person, a good student, a high character guy," Sanford said. "He's smart enough to realize he needs to take advantage of his opportunity to come back. I expect big things from him. He has a chance to be a terrific player. The (suspension) was really hard for him, but I expect him to have learned his lesson."

Here's hoping he has.

At the very least, it will make answering the telephone far less stressful.

Ed Graney can be reached at 383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.