East Carolina running back Brandon Jackson has been dismissed from the football team, coach Ruffin McNeill announced in a statement today and fellow running back Giavanni Ruffin has been suspended indefinitely.

Both players were arrested this weekend after being charged with public intoxication, resisting a public officer and obstructing.

This is the third time Jackson has been arrested in Greenville, N.C., the first while McNeill was the head coach. McNeill cited Jackson’s previous arrests -- one in January and another in 2008 -- as the reasons for his dismissal.

Jackson finished the 2009 season second on the team in rushing with 316 yards and three touchdowns on 84 carries in nine games. He also started three games.

"When you make mistakes in life, you have to understand there are consequences," McNeill said in the statement. "It hurts to see young people lose an opportunity like that, but it's very important to have conduct standards in place we expect to be followed on a consistent basis. We have a commitment to the University, our program and our families to represent ourselves in a professional manner at all times. My hope is that if they learn from this incident, it will serve a good purpose.”

Ruffin, a junior college transfer, was the team’s third-leading rusher with 308 yards and five touchdowns on 84 carries in 13 games last fall.