Jalen Mills Arrested and Indefinitely Suspended

RedStickNow.com is reporting that the Baton Rouge Police Department arrested Mills and charged him with 2nd Degree Battery. The report states:

According to a warrant, Mills reportedly punched a female victim in the mouth while at his Highland Rd. apartment complex in May of this year.

The victim, who notified authorities, stated she was at Mills’ apartment complex when she knocked on Mills’ door looking for her friend. Mills opened the door then closed it in the victim’s face so she knocked again. When no one came to the door the victim walked away down the hall. She stated she heard someone say something to her while walking away and when she turned around Mills punched her in the mouth. She fell to the pavement and was unconscious briefly, according to the report. The victim required 4 stitches in her lip as a result of the attack.

Mills was identified in a 6 person line-up by the victim as the person who punched her. A witness also came forward and corroborated the victim’s statement, stating Mills was the one who punched the female victim.

LSU indefinitely suspended Jalen Mills, says Michael Bonnette:

#LSU SID Michael Bonnette tells @wafb Jalen Mills "has been indefinitely suspended from the football team".

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) June 11, 2014

Things like these are not fun. We do not have the full story. It's important to note that this is the alleged details of what occurred, though he is currently charged with second degree battery, which, by Louisiana law, is a felony offense punishable with up to five years in prison. We've seen Miles take different courses of action on disciplinary issues in the past, as recently as his lenience toward Jeremy Hill, who was charged with simple battery following a bar fight last April.

Miles will likely let this one play out legally, or least spend some time gathering details, before any final decision is made on Mills' future. It's useless to attempt to prognosticate on such matters.

Mills figured to be a starting safety and defensive leader in 2014. He's a player I identified as potential for early departure to the NFL. He's a former Freshman All-American CB who transitioned to Safety late during the 2013, which really solidified the back end.

If Mills is dismissed, LSU sits in the fortunate position of being plush with safety depth. Ronald Martin, Corey Thompson and Rickey Jefferson all return with playing experience. Incoming freshman Ed Paris (an early enrollee), Jamal Adams, Devin Voorhies and John Battle will also be options. Paris would seemingly have a leg up on the competition, but he did spend the Spring working as a corner and the staff may be hesitant to have a freshman cross-training positions. Adams is a player I figured could ply for early playing time anyhow, so this would only open the door for him even more.

For now, we just sit back and wait to see how this all plays out.