Five assailants injure Montee Ball in ‘unprovoked assault’

Maybe 99 times out of 100, when there is a crime involving a college football player, that player is on the wrong side of the law.

Last night, however, was the one in a hundred, unfortunately, for Montee Ball.

In a press release, Wisconsin confirmed that the All-American running back “was the victim of what Madison Police are investigating as an ‘unprovoked assault’ early Wednesday morning.” According to the police report provided by the school, Ball was attacked by five black males in the city of Madison.

The police report describes the attack as follows:

A 21-year old man was attacked while walking in the 500 block of University Ave. early this morning. Witnesses said five men jumped the victim. He was knocked to the ground and kicked. The victim was taken to a hospital with head injuries. It does not appear he knew his attackers and this is being investigated as an unprovoked assault. The criminals were last seen running south on N. Frances St. toward the Kohl Center.

As of this posting, no one has been arrested or charged in connection to the incident.

Ball sustained the injuries -- later reported to be a concussion -- in what has been labeled as “battery” by the MPD and was taken to the hospital for treatment, although he has since been released.

“My concern right now is for Montee’s health and well-being. Montee has been released from the hospital and is under the care and supervision of our sports medicine staff. We will continue to evaluate him as we approach the start of fall camp this weekend. I do expect Montee to make a full recovery.”

Last season, Ball led the country in rushing yards (1,923) and finished third in yards per game (137.4). A Heisman finalist last season, Ball is among the handful of preseason favorites for the award heading into 2012.