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De'Andre Johnson Dismissed from Florida State Following Battery Charge
Less than two weeks after getting suspended indefinitely for violating team rules, Florida State Seminoles freshman quarterback De'Andre Johnson has been dismissed from the football team after being charged with misdemeanor battery.
According to ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach, the charge stems from an incident during which Johnson allegedly hit a woman at a bar. The charge was filed after the Florida State Attorney's Office reviewed video of the alleged incident, per Schlabach.
Schlabach noted Johnson's lawyer had submitted a written not guilty plea on July 2, and that he will have a case management hearing on July 22.
Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated passed along a press release from Florida State regarding its decision:
Florida State presiden John Thrasher released a statement stating he has "no tolerance for the kind of behavior exhibited in this case," per Warchant.com.
The Tallahassee Democrat provided the video that led to Johnson's charge (Warning: Video contains graphic content):
Jared Shanker of ESPN.com noted head coach Jimbo Fisher had not seen the video until Monday, because he had been traveling in West Virginia.
Following the release of the video, Jose Baez, Johnson's lawyer, released a statement on Johnson's behalf, via TMZ.com:
While it is clear from the video that De'Andre Johnson was not the initial aggressor, his family wants to take the lead in helping him learn and grow from this experience. He is currently participating in community service, and faith-based programs focused on battered women, substance abuse, and the empowerment of children.
De'Andre is extremely embarrassed by this situation and would like to express his heartfelt apologies to everyone, including those who were directly affected, Coach [Jimbo] Fisher and his teammates, the entire Florida State University community, as well as his family and friends.
Johnson was expected to compete with Sean Maguire and Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson for the starting quarterback job that Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 1 overall draft pick Jameis Winston vacated.
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