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Iowa's Peter Jok suspended after second moped-related arrest

Iowa's Peter Jok suspended after second moped-related arrest

Here's a little tip for Iowa forward Peter Jok: Give your moped to a friend. Sell it. Leave it on the curb with the key in the ignition until a thief comes along and swipes it.

As long as that moped remains in Jok's possession, he remains in jeopardy of becoming the first college basketball player ever to jeopardize his career because of his love for a low-powered motorbike.

Iowa suspended Jok indefinitely on Tuesday evening after his second moped-related arrest this offseason. Less than three months after getting pulled over on his moped with a blood-alcohol level of .087 and charged with an OWI, Jok was arrested again Monday for driving his moped with a suspended license.

Worse yet, Jok also reportedly hadn't bothered to replace the missing safety flag or improper lights on his moped that police dinged him for in April either.

Said Iowa athletic director Gary Barta in a statement, "I’m very disappointed to learn about this, especially in light of the fact that Peter had a previous incident earlier this summer."

Added Iowa coach Fran McCaffery in the same statement, "We support Peter, but we’re not happy with his recent pattern of behavior."

It's a fairly safe bet that Jok's indefinite suspension will be lifted before the season or at the very most after a game or two, but the promising 6-foot-6 sophomore now needs to tread lightly. A third strike — moped-related or not — could force McCaffery to take more severe disciplinary action.

Iowa can't afford that because having Jok on the court next season will be key to its bid to return to the NCAA tournament. Though Jok averaged a modest 4.4 points in 9.4 minutes per game as a freshman, he is expected to play a bigger role next season when he will be asked to help fill the shoes of graduated standout wing Roy Devyn Marble.

Jok's 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting in Iowa's NCAA tournament loss to Tennessee last March suggest he may be capable of thriving in that increased role. He just needs to be wise enough to stay off his moped in order to have that chance.

For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!