Assault charges dropped against two Temple players
A Philadelphia judge dismissed most of the assault charges against two Temple football players on Wednesday.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, all charges – aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and conspiracy – against defensive lineman Haason Reddick were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Additionally, Judge Joyce Eubanks dropped three of the four same charges levied against offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, but did not drop his simple assault charge.
Both players were suspended after turning themselves in to police in March, but Temple lifted both suspensions on Wednesday, per the Inquirer.
The charges were dropped Wednesday following the testimony of an alleged victim.
The alleged victim, Benjamin Wood, testified that he saw his friend, Delonte Stancil, “being stomped on” by Reddick. When he tried to protect Stancil, Wood said he also got stomped on, but did not know who was kicking him. When Wood “felt the coast was clear,” he pulled his friend away but was then kicked in the face below his right eye.
From the Inquirer:
Wood said he then “observed Dion Dawkins charge at me,” and the two then began to fight. Wood said he stopped fighting when his then-girlfriend, Yasmeen Wicks, a Temple freshman, pulled him away and got him out of the club.
Wood said he went to a hospital and was treated for a fractured right orbital bone. Under cross-examination by Dawkins’ attorney, James Funt, Wood said he didn’t suffer any injuries while being stomped on his back. And he said he didn’t know who kicked him under his eye.
In his argument, Reddick’s attorney, Max Kramer, said there was “no evidence my client caused any injury to Mr. Wood.” He noted that only Wood, not Stancil, is a complainant in the case.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Dawkins, 21, was the starting left tackle for the Owls as a sophomore in 2014. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Reddick, 20, played in ten games (two starts) and registered 23 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as a redshirt sophomore in 2014. Reddick also tallied 14 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack
For more Temple news, visit OwlScoop.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
