The aftermath of an altercation at a country music concert left Kansas University fullback Bruce Ringwood suspended indefinitely, football coach Mark Mangino said in a statement Friday.
Ringwood was arrested Sunday at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., and charged with assault after his alleged involvement in a scuffle with a husband and wife at a Kenny Chesney show.
“I have suspended Bruce until we gather all the facts related to this incident,” Mangino said in the statement. “I’m disturbed that one of our players would be involved in something like this. We have high standards of conduct that we expect from our student-athletes. This goes against everything we stand for at the University of Kansas.”
A team spokesperson said Mangino would not comment further.
According to the police report, the couple, 46-year olds Terry and Kathy Hendren, allege Ringwood attacked them with fists, leaving Terry with cuts and bruises on his forehead and Kathy with a black eye. The incident allegedly started when Ringwood, 20, bumped into Kathy Hendren, who was seated in front of him, during the show.
Kathy said after she told Ringwood not to bump her, he made an obscene gesture at her. Terry said he then asked Ringwood to apologize, and that’s when Ringwood attacked him.
Ringwood’s side of the story wasn’t documented in the police report, besides his admittance of consuming alcohol that night. He’s to appear in cosurt in October.
“I would like to apologize to my teammates, coaches and my university for my involvement in this incident,” Ringwood said in a statement. “I regret that it happened, and my focus now is on doing everything I can do to be a good student and a good football player.”
The move likely means senior Cullen Homolka will move into the two-deep at fullback behind sophomore Brandon McAnderson. It’s a thin position now that Ringwood is suspended, but one that KU doesn’t utilize to the point where depth is a major concern.
¢ No answer yet: Mangino participated in an online chat Friday on KU’s official Web site, and was asked if playing two quarterbacks Sept. 3 against Florida Atlantic was a possibility.
“I haven’t drawn any conclusions at this point,” Mangino said. “We have more than one capable quarterback, so anything is possible.”
¢ Baines recovering: Mangino also commented during the chat on cornerback Theo Baines, who, after being dinged up and missing significant action last year, again has been hampered by an injury this preseason.
“Theo’s injury is not the same injury as last year,” Mangino said. “He has been getting better and should be ready for action very soon.”
