Suspended Oklahoma players verified as Trejan Bridges and Seth McGowan
LISTEN: Archived police scanner audio exposes how two players were allegedly involved in an incident Thursday night and were suspended Friday pending the result of an inquiry.
The two football players implicated in an alleged robbery on Thursday night and later disciplined by the OU athletic department on Friday have been named as sophomore wide receiver Trejan Bridges and freshman running back Seth McGowan.
A source in the OU sports department confirmed their names to SI Sooners late Friday, and their identities were revealed on Saturday through archived audio from a police scanner captured during the event.
Carey Murdock of SoonerScoop broke the news about their identities on Twitter on Saturday.
SI Sooners announced on Friday that two football players had been banned after one was apprehended and released.
“We are aware of a situation that may involve OU student-athletes and are closely monitoring it,” the university said in a statement to SI Sooners. “The student-athletes involved have been suspended pending the conclusion of an ongoing inquiry. We have no other information to provide at this time.”
Norman police informed SI Sooners that they believed a third person was engaged in the incident, which included a “firearms violation,” but university sources believe that two football players were involved.
In the recording, Norman officers respond to a complaint at the Crimson Park Apartments, 2657 Classen Blvd., and say the suspects are “possibly ballplayers from OU.”
Police mention “a male victim bleeding from the head after being pistol-whipped,” and later identify Bridges as T.J., Trejan (pronounced “Trey-hann”), and Trejan (pronounced “Trey-john”). Norman Police Department also identified “a second suspect” as Seth McGowan, “based on the victim looking through the roster and seeing the name Seth.”
One officer stated that Bridges was “in custody” during the call, but Norman Police Department informed SI Sooners on Friday that the suspect was just “detained” in the parking lot of a restaurant at 750 East Lindsey Street.
Police also stated that “designer shoes and a camera” were stolen during the incident.
Bridges, from Carrollton, Texas, was suspended for the 2019 College Football Playoff game against LSU due to a positive drug test. The offense warrants a 6-game punishment, but Bridges continued to have issues, and his sentence lasted 10 games before he was restored before last year’s Big 12 Championship Game. He also participated in the Cotton Bowl triumph over Florida.
Bridges was a five-star recruit from Hebron High School in 2019.
Bridges, who is 6-foot-1 and weighs 187 pounds, enrolled early at OU in January 2019. He was chosen for the All-American Bowl and ranked as the No. 21 overall high school prospect in the country by Rivals. He selected Oklahoma over offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and others.
“It was just an unfortunate event that happened to me,” Bridges stated during a video press conference on April 8. “All I could do was learn from it. You never know what individuals are truly going through during these times. I wouldn’t say it was fair; it wasn’t. I’ll say if it was. I couldn’t do anything about it. I was not going to sit back and cry. “Life goes on.
Bridges has nine receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns across his two seasons at OU. Bridges also tried switching to defense during his rookie year, finishing the season with eight tackles as a safety before returning to wide receiver.
McGowan, a running back from Mesquite, TX, ran the football 58 times for 370 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman in 2020, and also caught 13 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown. His highlight was a 73-yard run against Florida in the Cotton Bowl, and he also caught three passes for 70 yards.
McGowan was a 4-star prospect at Poteet High School, a top-200 player by ESPN, 247 Sports and Rivals, who listed him as the No. 13 running back prospect in the nation. McGowan, who is 5-11 and weighs 205 pounds, selected Oklahoma over Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas, and others.
