Senior running back Venric Mark will transfer from Northwestern for personal reasons, the University announced Wednesday.

“I’m devastated to leave my second home, but life is full of challenges and I’ve been presented with another one,” Mark said in a news release. “Right now this is what is best for me and my family.”

Mark is leaving NU to play football closer to his family, according to the release. He is one course shy of graduating.

Last week, NU suspended Mark for the first two games of the 2014 season for a violation of team policy.

(Star running back Venric Mark suspended two games)

“There’s no point in pouting. I’m going to embrace it. … I see this as a minor setback, not the end of my career,” Mark told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday.

Mark missed most of 2013 with ankle injuries after a 2012 season in which he rushed for a team-best 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“Today is a difficult day for our football family and, most importantly, for Venric,” Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald said in the release. “We love him, and there is no doubt that we’re going to miss him as both a person and player. But this is unquestionably what is best for Venric and those closest to him.”

With Mark gone, senior Treyvon Green is expected to be NU’s starting running back.

NU also announced Wednesday that senior wide receiver Christian Jones will miss the 2014 season with a knee injury.

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