Vito Tisdale posts farewell message to teammates, Kentucky after being dismissed from program
Following an announcement by the Kentucky football team that he had been dismissed from the program, defensive back Vito Tisdale typed out a farewell message to his school and now-former teammates. It makes no mention of why he was dismissed from the team.
Tisdale, a junior, was a highly-touted high school prospect who chose Kentucky. But his career was partially derailed by injuries and other off the field issues.
“Dear Big Blue Nation, thank you for allowing me to pursue my academic and my athletic career at this prestigious university. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me on and off the field. To my brothers, I love you guys. We made a lifetime of memories over the last few years. Thank you for always supporting me through thick and thin,” Tisdale said.
Along with dealing with various injuries, Tisdale also had an off the field problem along with several teammates. He missed the first few games of the 2022 season after being charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree wanton endangerment after an incident at Kentucky fraternity. He and his five Kentucky teammates also charged were all cleared by a grand jury.
Tisdale recently returned to the field for Kentucky after an ACL injury sidelined him for all of 2023. Head coach Mark Stoops had been optimistic about his ability to get back in the groove and be ready for the fall. Still, caution was warranted.
“Vito’s back. And he’s close to full go. He’s not limited. He’s out there and able to go,” Stoops said. “We didn’t have pads on today. We’ll see how it goes whether it gets sore or not. Sometimes you’ve gotta be a little bit cautious with those knees.”
As the Wildcats lose a defensive back in Tisdale, they are working a number of transfers into the fold in the defensive backfield.
Safety Jantzen Dunn arrived from Ohio State and cornerback J.Q. Hardaway joined Kentucky after playing at Cincinnati. Both have a chance to make an impact for the Wildcats come fall.
“No, I think Jantzen and J.Q., they both are what you’re looking for. They both can run, they’re big guys,” Stoops said. “There’s a lot of length out there, I like that.”
Parting ways with a player as talented as Tisdale was likely not an easy decision, but one that Kentucky seems well positioned to withstand and come out strong on the other side of.