Temple defensive tackle Kamal Johnson will not play or practice with the team after being arrested this past weekend for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
Johnson, 20, was arraigned Saturday on charges including kidnapping, false imprisonment, simple assault, and endangering the welfare of another person. The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred Sept. 27 and 28 between the junior lineman and his 21-year-old girlfriend, who also is a student at Temple.
The university acknowledged in a written statement Monday that Johnson has been charged. The statement did not specify that Johnson has been suspended but did say that he will "not practice or compete with the football team until this situation is resolved."
"We emphasize that we are not making a determination about his guilt or innocence -- that is for the justice system," the school said in the statement. "His status as a student and his scholarship status have not changed."
Johnson's girlfriend told police Thursday that she and Johnson had an argument on the phone, and that at about 11:50 p.m. ET, he forced his way into her apartment near campus, dragged her into the hallway and forced her down the stairs to his apartment.
The girlfriend told police Johnson accused her of cheating on him, punched her in the back and threw her to the floor, where she hit her head. She said he forced her to sit in a chair for more than three hours and refused to let her leave, police said in an emailed statement.
She told police he let her leave about 3:50 a.m. Sept. 28. She had scratches and bruises and a contusion on her head, which she said caused her to be dizzy and her vision to blur, police said.
Johnson turned himself in to police Friday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
