In the midst of its game against Navy, Memphis was forced to address an off-field issue involving one of its now-former football players.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Tigers defensive tackle Ernest Suttles was arrested early Saturday morning on a charge of rape. Other than the alleged incident occurred at an off-campus residence and that the police were called after the alleged victim reported the alleged assault at a local hospital, no further details surrounding the incident have been released.
Suttles was initially suspended by the university. After it was learned that he had been charged, the lineman was dismissed by the football program.
"[Suttles] has been removed from campus as this matter is reviewed by the Office of Student Accountability, Outreach and Support for violations of the UofM Student Code of Conduct,” a portion of a statement from the university read. The Commerical Appeal went on to write that “Suttles arrest comes in the wake of on-campus protests last week against rape and sexual assault.”
Entering the 2017 season, Suttles, who graduated in May of this year, had started 19 of the 38 games in which he played. Prior to the off-field issue, the fifth-year senior was listed as a co-starter at tackle for the Tigers.
Suttles originally began his collegiate career at Nebraska, but was dismissed following a physical altercation with a teammate. He transferred to Memphis in August of 2013.