Jacob Freeman of Alabama State was arrested on Saturday September 23, 2023, on one count of battery causing bodily harm and booked into Leon County Jail.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) was set to play against Alabama State in what was considered to be a very electric game as it was not only a divisional game in the Southwestern Atlantic Conference, but these were also two teams who are amongst the best for HBCU football.[1] The game was neck and neck essentially the entire way through, which meant that fans were rowdy and fired up until the very end of the game. This was an away game for Alabama State, but a pretty large number of their fans made the road trip to Tallahassee, Florida to support. The visiting teams at Bragg Stadium are seated in front of the home team’s student section, so it makes for taunting quite often between the away players and the home students.
Wide receiver Jacob Freeman ended up getting caught in the emotions of the game and taking those emotions out onto the students in the crowd.[2] There was a security guard who was tasked with keeping not only Freeman, but the entire away team separate from the students seated behind them. As Freeman went to approach the student section, the security guard stepped in to try and stop him, leading Freeman to then deliver a punch to the security guard.[3] Freeman was then separated and pulled back from the security guard by one of his coaches. The security guard later on reported back to FAMU about the incident, and Freeman was then arrested and booked into Leon County Jail in Tallahassee. He later posted bond and was able to get out and ride back to Alabama with one of his coaches, separate from the rest of the team. Since the arrest, this entire incident has been circling social media as students in the student section recorded the interaction.
Alabama State Athletics Department has responded to the incident and suspended Jacob Freeman indefinitely from the football team.[4] The Athletics Department issued a statement: “We do not condone the actions of the student-athlete, nor are the actions representative of the expectations set forth by the athletic department and our university. There is zero tolerance for this type of behavior. The student-athlete has been suspended indefinitely from the football program, effective immediately.” Freeman’s name was removed from the roster and the head football coach commented that, “Freeman is remorseful, but at the same time, he has to go through the process of his actions.” Freeman will now not only face legal consequences, but he may have also cost himself the opportunity to play football for Alabama State in the future.
[1] https://hbcugameday.com/2023/09/27/hbcu-culture-should-embrace-asus-jacob-freeman-after-incident/
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
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