July 21, 2004

3 Gators Suspended

LB Taurean Charles was suspended by AD Jeremy Foley after being arrested at a party and charged with felony battery charges. LB Channing Crowder and S Jarvis Herring were suspended yesterday after being arrested earlier in the summer after a scuffle at a party.

Charles was arrested a month after the June 13 incident. He is alleged to have punched the victim in the head and then thrown him off a wooden deck, leaving him semi-conscious. It is alleged that Charles then threw a beer keg at the victim that was partially deflected. The victim, UF student Dane Eagle, sustained a concussion and a broken nose that resulted in corrective surgery and stitches.

Gator offensive linemen Anthony Guerrero and Carlton Medder are listed on police reports as witnesses. Gainesville Police say that warrants for misdemeanors would be filed against 2 of the other 10 Florida players who were at the party.

Charles pleaded no contest to simple battery charges in June of 2003 after an incident in a female student's dorm room in March of that year. He was suspended for last season's opener and received a year's probation along with counseling as punishment. He may have violated that probation if he's guilty of the latest charges but it is not clear yet that he did.