Suspended Texas Tech Football Player Isn’t Indicted By Grand Jury After Basketball Fight

Former Texas Tech football player Nigel Bethel was dismissed from school after a pick-up basketball game fight with Tech women’s basketball player Amber Battle. You can watch the video of that incident below. Yesterday a grand jury declined to indict Bethel for any charges and all 12 members of the grand jury even wrote a letter recommending that he be reinstated to the football team:

The grand jury wrote: “We believe he was unduly and prematurely punished. This was an unfortunate incident in a pick-up basketball game. This is a matter that should not result in criminal charges for either party.

Any assault does deserve immediate action, however, please ensure all testimonies, evidence and circumstances are reviewed prior to taking action which may forever alter a person’s future.

We desire to see Mr. Bethel’s scholarship re-instated. If he is re-instated, it is our belief that his consequences should not be greater than those of Ms. Battle. If he is not re-instated, a public exoneration of his character on the part of Texas Tech University should be forthcoming, since Mr. Bethel’s future opportunities for an education as well as an athletic career have been jeopardized.”

Battle, the women’s basketball player, admitted that she initiated the first contact and apologized for her role in the fight. She was suspended for a month for her role in the pick-up basketball fight. 

Bethel’s attorney feels that his client’s punishment was unfair:

“Nigel lost his scholarship in my opinion because of Texas Tech’s hasty decision. I don’t believe all the evidence was reviewed. I don’t believe they took the time out to properly investigate this. Nothing is okay about hitting a woman. Nothing is okay about hitting a man.

“Why wasn’t she given the same punishment of zero tolerance that Nigel Bethel was meeted out,” Payne asked. “If we’re gonna have a zero tolerance policy about violence than that should be across the board.”

Watch the video below — courtesy of The Big Lead — and then tell me what’s the appropriate response here? Should Bethel be put back on scholarship or should he sign with another program? Would you be okay with your team signing him?

Well, Texas Tech has made its decision. Bethel has been reinstated to the team and suspended the first three games of the season.