FSU football, like a vicious street gang, is for LIFE (or LYFE, if you prefer).

And former five star recruit Brandon Warren is learning that the hard way.

Yesterday a panel of three faculty members upheld head coach Bobby Bowden’s decision not to release Warren from his scholarship. The Alcoa, Tenn. native left school in February to return home where his mother has been in cancer remission for two years.

According to NCAA rules, without the release Warren cannot get a scholarship anywhere (even Tennessee, where many speculate that he plans to attend if released from FSU).

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Warren’s sudden departure from Tallahassee may be more a case of homesickness than anything else.

While I have a slight problem with a university holding a kid’s future like hostage like this, let’s keep in mind that Warren chose FSU. This isn’t like the NFL draft where a team drafts your playing rights and you play for them or you don’t play at all. As bizarre as this sounds, I kind of applaud the FSU faculty for making this kid accountable for his choices and his decisions. If he wanted to leave, there is a protocol that you have to follow.

But if you’ve ever been to Tallahassee, it’s easy to understand why Warren might want out.