Ohio State RB Berry charged with assault

COLUMBUS, OHIO (AP) - Fourth-string Ohio State tailback Jaamal Berry has been charged with misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct after police say he punched a man in the face and then bragged about it.

Franklin County Municipal Court records show the 20-year-old Berry was charged Wednesday in the alleged Oct. 21 attack shortly before 2:30 a.m. in downtown Columbus.

A police report shows a 21-year-old man said Berry punched him with a closed fist after an argument and that a witness was hit as he tried to break up the fight. Another witness said Berry bragged about what he had done. There were no serious injuries.

Arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 1.

Ohio State spokesman Jerry Emig said in a statement that Berry had been suspended from the team “for violating the university’s student-athlete code of conduct.”

The statement added, “Berry will remain suspended until charges filed against him have been resolved.”

Berry, a third-year sophomore from Miami, Fla., has carried only three times this season for five yards and has caught two passes for 14 yards.

It was not his first skirmish this fall. He was treated and released at a hospital after what a police report termed an assault on another student on Sept. 28. Ohio State’s student newspaper, The Ohio State Lantern, reported that Berry was confused and disoriented after “wrestling” with another student on campus.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.