Vanderbilt football has cut ties with receiver Kayleb Barnett after the 20-year-old was charged with felony counts of strangulation and identity theft, as well as a misdemeanor count of possessing a false ID.
‘We are aware of the situation,’ read a statement from Vanderbilt athletics. ‘Kayleb Barnett violated team and university standards and is no longer with the program.’
In a Nashville police affidavit, one officer claimed to witness Barnett putting a victim in a chokehold before the individual fell motionless to the ground. The two officers noticed a significant amount of blood around the victim and placed Barnett under arrest without incident.
The victim woke up shortly after but struggled to remember the details of what led to the physical altercation. One witness, who was a designated driver for the victim and his party, told officers Barnett threw the first punch.
However, according to the affidavit, Barnett said the other individual was the first to throw a punch.
‘The defendant stated a punch was thrown from the victim first, which the defendant dodged, and then the defendant stated he was holding the victim down to prevent him from continuing to assault him,’ read the affidavit provided to The Daily Mail.
Vanderbilt football has cut ties with receiver Kayleb Barnett (pictured) after the 20-year-old was charged with felony counts of strangulation and identity theft in Nashville on Saturday
A track star in his native Oklahoma, the 5ft 8in Barnett originally committed to Central Arkansas before getting a scholarship offer from Vandy and deciding to enroll at the Nashville school
Officers determined Barnett was the aggressor and ultimately discovered two forms of identification during his arrest, according to the affidavit. Police say one ID belonged to Barnett, showing he was under 21, while the other belonged to an entirely different person.
The arrest took place Saturday night near the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville, where the Commodores lost 52-17 to visiting Ole Miss earlier in the day.
Barnett does not yet have an attorney listed in the case. He has been released from a Davidson County detention center after posting a $5,000 bond.
A track star in his native Oklahoma, the 5ft 8in Barnett originally committed to Central Arkansas before getting a scholarship offer from Vanderbilt. Barnett would ultimately change course and head to Nashville, where he had six catches and a touchdown as a freshman.
He was behind several more experienced receivers on coach Clark Lea’s depth chart this season, and as a result, Barnett had just seven catches for the 3-3 Commodores.
Vanderbilt will host Arkansas this Saturday before back-to-back road games against Kentucky and Mississippi State.
