Former Texas Tech cornerback Nigel Bethel might be out of legal hot water in connection with an incident where he punched a women's basketball player, but the public perception of the football player is sure to suffer following the release of surveillance video that shows the altercation.
EverythingLubbock.com posted the video that shows Lady Raider basketball player Amber Battle bumping Bethel in a game of pickup basketball on June 28, and the freshman cornerback responded to by throwing a punch that hit Battle in the face. Bethel was quickly dismissed by the football program while Battle was given a one-month suspension for November by the athletic department.
Here's the video:
TV station KCBD in Lubbock reported on Tuesday that Bethel was cleared by a grand jury and won't be charged for his involvement in the incident. He reportedly is back home in Miami while he sorts out his options.
"Nigel lost his scholarship in my opinion because of Texas Tech's hasty decision," Bethel's attorney, Tray Paine said. "I don't believe all the evidence was reviewed. I don't believe they took the time out to properly investigate this. Nothing is OK about hitting a woman. Nothing is OK about hitting a man."
Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury has not addressed Bethel's dismissal with the media, but will appear at Big 12 Media Days on Monday.
*Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer. *
