After starting every game for Marshall in 2010, Donald Brown was demoted to the backup safety spot during spring practice.
Three months later, a demotion is the least of Brown’s on-field worries.
According to a terse one-sentence release from the school, Brown has been dismissed from the football program. The reason for the dismissal is, of course, a violation of unspecified team rules.
A search of the Western Regional Jail website, however, reveals a “Donald Sterling Brown” who was booked into the jail earlier today. The 20-year-old male was listed as 6-0, 180 pounds; Donald Brown, the Herd player, is officially listed at 6-0, 182 pounds. The “imprisonment status” for the Brown in question is “misdemeanor pretrial”.
Subsequently, the Charleston Gazette reported that it was indeed the Herd’s Brown, and that the now-former defensive back was charged with domestic battery . The Gazette also provides a few disturbing details as to what allegedly led to the arrest.
Brown started all 12 games in 2010 after playing in seven games as a true freshman the previous season. His three interceptions last year tied for the team lead.