There is a lot of spotlight right now on violence against women and thats a good thing because there should be no place for it. Back in June, LSU DB Jalen Mills was arrested and suspended indefinitely after knocking punching a woman in the face and knocking her out. If you don’t remember the details, here they are:
She was at Mills’ apartment complex when she knocked on Mills’ door looking for her friend. Mills opened the door then closed it in the victim’s face so she knocked again. When no one came to the door the victim walked away down the hall. She stated she heard someone say something to her while walking away and when she turned around Mills punched her in the mouth. She fell to the pavement and was unconscious briefly, according to the report. The victim required 4 stitches in her lip as a result of the attack.
East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney Hillar Moore charged Mills with misdemeanor simple battery on Monday so the team has quickly reinstated him and will deal with his punishment mostly internally:
“Those things take time and … after an entire summer of suspension, we felt like, while this thing was still being decided, that we bring him onto the team and then continue that discipline,” Miles said Monday evening. “Misdemeanor being what it is, we’re moving forward,” Miles said.
This is a really unfortunate decision by Les Miles who everyone loves at this point. I understand that the courts worked the charges down to a misdemeanor but that doesn’t really change what Mills did. Football players have been getting charges worked down at places all over the country as long as players have been breaking the law. LSU missed an opportunity just like the NFL did to send a strong message on violence against women.
[ESPN]