For his alleged involvement in the theft of $700 belonging to teammate Jeremiah Tshimanga, former Oklahoma State running back Herschel Sims received a pair of second-degree forgery charges, both felonies.
On Thursday, Sims pleaded not guilty in a Payne County Court appearance to both counts, per the Daily Oklahoman. Sims said in an interview with the OSU Police Department back in May that he used Tshimanga’s ID card and forged his signature to withdraw the money, but did not admit to stealing; rather, Sims’ high school coach said the situation was a misunderstanding, not an act of theft.
“I made the mistake of getting the money myself, coach,” Steve Warren said his former player told him. “I should have let him do it and I didn’t. But we had an agreement that I was going to borrow that money from him and pay him back.”
Sims was dismissed from the team earlier this month. According to his attorney, Sims is no longer at Oklahoma State and plans to transfer to a Texas school next semester.
Sims finished third on the team in rushing as a true freshman with 248 yards and two touchdowns. While he was not listed on the two-deep this past spring, Sims was expected to make a contribution to the Cowboys’ offense this fall.