Florida State running back Dalvin Cook was charged Friday with misdemeanor battery for allegedly punching a woman in the face outside a bar in Tallahassee, Fla., last month, and it's not the first legal issue for the Seminoles' star sophomore.
Cook was cited last year by Tallahassee Animal Services for improper care of three pit bull puppies who were found tethered by a heavy chain, Sports Illustrated reported on Sunday. The puppies were unable to move and some of them were choking, according to the citation report. Cook was also charged with criminal mischief in 2014 as part of a group of FSU players involved in an alleged BB-gun incident that caused some property damage. As well, the Orlando Sentinel obtained records from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that show Cook was charged with robbery in 2009 and with possessing and firing a weapon at an event on school property in 2010, a third-degree felony. Charges were dropped or abandoned in both cases.
Cook has been suspended indefinitely and coach Jimbo Fisher has banned FSU players from going to bars, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Cook rushed for 1,008 yards on 170 carries last season and established himself as a go-to option in some of FSU's biggest games, particularly at times when star quarterback Jameis Winston struggled with interceptions.
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