Duke dismissed a starting wide receiver and two other players from the football program on Tuesday.
Coach David Cutcliffe announced that wide receiver Johnell Barnes and his backup, Terrence Alls, and linebacker Chris Holmes were no longer on the team because of their failure to meet program standards.
Cutcliffe said the move was not related to any recent events or actions by the players.
“This is, without doubt, the most difficult thing teams and coaches face,” Cutcliffe said. “This is not a reaction to anything that has occurred during the last couple weeks.
“This has been something that we have worked very hard with these young men to continue to understand what’s expected of them. We have standards in this program that we’re committed to.”
Barnes was the Blue Devils’ second leading receiver with 34 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns. Alls had six catches for 56 yards after returning from a six-game suspension to start the season.
Duke (6-4) has lost three straight games and plays at Virginia (3-7) on Saturday in an ACC game.