An incident outside of an Akron McDonald’s two months ago (eventually) resulted in charges for a dozen individuals, including three members of the Zips football program. And, actually, the charges are, at least initially, serious-sounding in nature.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, three members of the local college football program -- running back Bryan Green, safety Johnny Robinson (pictured) and cornerback Donte Williams -- were arrested by Summit County sheriff’s deputies this past Monday. All three were charged with aggravated riot, which is a felony. Additionally, Robinson was charged with aggravated menacing while Williams was charged with obstructing and resisting arrest as well as being accused of fleeing the scene.
The incident at the McDonald’s stemmed from an imbroglio at a local nightclub that eventually spilled over to the fast-food restaurant at roughly 3 a.m. ET. The ABJ writes that “Summit County sheriff’s detectives previously said a deputy, who was trying to break up the fight, and a student trying to enter the restaurant, were each struck by a fleeing SUV.”
The injuries triggered the aggravated riot charges for nine of the 12 involved. The driver of the SUV, for those who’re interested, was charged with one count of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of aggravated vehicular assault.
As a result of the incident and subsequent charges, all three of the football players have been indefinitely suspended by the program. If the punitive measures were to bleed into the 2014 season, the loss of Robinson would be by far the biggest loss of the three for head coach Terry Bowden.
Over the past three seasons, Robinson has started 25 of the 34 games in which he’s played; 19 of those starts came the past two seasons. His two interceptions were tied for third on the team in 2013, and his 61 tackles were fourth on the team the year before.
Williams started three of the six games in which he played in 2013 as a junior, while Green played in two games as a redshirt freshman last season.