Vanderbilt University has dismissed wide receiver Kayleb Barnett from the football team after he was arrested over the weekend for allegedly assaulting someone outside of a Nashville bar.
Barnett, 20, was charged with one count of aggravated assault by strangulation, identity theft and false identification. The false identification charge is a misdemeanor while the other two charges are classified as felonies.
“We are aware of the situation,” Vanderbilt football said in a statement on Monday, October 12. “Kayleb Barnett violated team and university standards and is no longer with the program.”
Barnett is no longer listed on the Commodores’ football roster.
The alleged incident occurred outside of the Barstool Sports bar near the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge on Saturday, October 10 after the Commodores’ 52-17 loss to the University of Mississippi earlier that day. A police officer claims he witnessed Barnett assault an individual, putting him into a chokehold.
The officer allegedly “observed the victim fall to the ground, motionless, appearing to be unconscious, with a substantial amount of blood surrounding his person that was emanating from the victim,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WSMV.
A witness told police that Barnett threw the first punch, which led to the altercation, but Barnett told police the opposite. He allegedly had two IDs on him at the time, including one belonging to somebody aged 21 or over.
He was arrested without incident and the alleged victim regained consciousness shortly after.
Barnett posted a $5,000 bond and will appear in court on November 13.
The sophomore had played in all six of Vanderbilt’s games so far this season, catching seven passes for 36 yards.
Commodores head coach Clark Lea addressed Barnett’s dismissal in a press conference on Tuesday, October 13.
“We can’t be any more clear on the boundaries we have,” Lea, 44, said. “Any time you remove someone from the program, that’s not an unemotional decision. That is not a decision made lightly. We have clear standards and we fight for those standards every day.”
He continued, “My worst days in this position are not days where we fall short on the field. My worst days are days when we have to make decisions that eliminate membership in our program. And yet, without boundaries, there’s erosion. And with erosion, there’s flooding. And so to continue to fight for those every single day is critical.”
“Discipline isn’t just something that you bring to the game on Saturday. It’s something you live by. We say better people make a better team. This is everything to what this program’s foundation is,” Lea concluded.
Now riding a three-game losing streak, Vanderbilt will take the field again on Saturday, October 17, at home against the University of Arkansas.
