Freshman quarterback Brock Berglund works out with the quarterbacks during the team's first practice on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011.

The Brock Berglund Watch officially can be called off.

Kansas University football coach Turner Gill announced Tuesday that Berglund, a freshman quarterback from Highlands Ranch, Colo., who has been dealing with legal issues since April, would not practice with the Jayhawks this fall but would remain a member of the team.

Berglund will red-shirt the 2011 season and, according to Gill’s release, report to spring drills in 2012 with four years of eligibility remaining.

“He’s still enrolled,” Gill said. “We just decided it would be in his best interest to take care of his legal issues and kind of remove football at this point in time and then come in in the spring.”

Asked after Tuesday’s practice whether Berglund or Gill played a bigger role in making this decision, Gill pointed to a team effort.

“I would say a little bit more myself,” Gill said. “But we all discussed it, myself and his parents, and just thought that this was the best thing for him to do.”

The news on Berglund comes four days after Gill announced sophomore QB Jordan Webb as the team’s starter and 11 days before the season opener against McNeese State. The reality of it all is that the decision will have very little effect on the team. After missing all of spring practice, despite graduating high school early and enrolling at KU last December, Berglund missed most of summer workouts and nearly all of fall camp because of obligations relating to the third-degree assault charge he’s facing in Colorado.

Berglund has pled not guilty to the charge and, through a statement from his lawyer, has repeatedly denied the accusations against him. With his trial date set for mid-December, it was conceivable Berglund could work through the season and not miss much time. However, after reporting to the first day of preseason camp on Aug. 3, Berglund was required to return to Colorado and has remained there for most of the days since.

Sands dismissed

In other roster news Tuesday, Gill announced that due to a violation of team policies, sophomore running back Deshaun Sands had been removed from the team effective immediately.

Sands played in 10 games as a red-shirt freshman in 2010, gaining 211 yards on 55 carries, with one touchdown. He picked up Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year honors in 2009, while sitting out the season as a red-shirt.

Sands was arrested Saturday night on an outstanding warrant for missing a June court date related to an April misdemeanor disturbing-the-peace citation. He posted $203 cash bond shortly after his arrest and was given notice to appear in Lawrence Municipal Court Aug. 30.