Ruffner Leaves BYU After Charges Filed

Brigham Young University basketball star Bryon Ruffner was charged Friday with felony theft and left school.

Ruffner, 26, was among seven people charged in 4th District Court with bilking a Provo company out of more than $200,000.

Ruffner also is accused in a civil complaint filed in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City stemming from the alleged scam.

“I would like the public to know that I have done something that I know is terribly wrong,” Ruffner said Friday in a prepared statement.

Ruffner, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, was one of three starters returning to the Cougars’ lineup this season. He was the team’s second-leading scorer last season, averaging 18.8 points per game. He scored 527 points last season.

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Mississippi State basketball standout and Long Beach native Marcus Bullard, who helped lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four last season, was sentenced Friday to three years in prison for violating his probation on drug charges.