An arrest early Wednesday morning that resulted in no charges for an Indiana Hoosier has still ended with punitive measures for the player.
In a statement sent out Thursday afternoon, IU head coach Kevin Wilson announced that Caleb Cornett has been indefinitely suspended following the incident.
“We are aware of Caleb’s situation and take this matter very seriously,” Wilson said in the statement. “At this time, Caleb is suspended from all team activities. Once we gather all of the facts and information, we will move forward accordingly.”
The situation involving the wide receiver is actually a bizarre one.
Cornett was involved in a physical confrontation with another male in downtown Bloomington yesterday morning. Police officers witnessed Cornett throw a punch that result in the male being “knocked unconscious for several minutes” and was arrested for battery and disorderly conduct. The Indianapolis Star wrote that "[t]he other individual involved in the incident was transported to Bloomington Hospital.”
Because it was deemed to be a “mutual combat scenario,” though, prosecutors decided the player wouldn’t be charged.
However, Cornett remains jailed. Why? In a previously unreported incident, Cornett was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. While the charge was ultimately pleaded down to reckless operation, Cornett was still placed on probation. The arrest triggered a violation of his probation.
The previous legal issue likely also played a role in Cornett being suspended despite a lack of charges in the most recent incident.
Cornett played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman last season, mostly on special teams. While he had as many catches as I did, Cornett was expected to see his playing time on offense increased.