Gopher coach dismisses four football players
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(AP) - Four University of Minnesota football players being investigated in a sexual assault case have been kicked off the team, coach Tim Brewster announced Wednesday.
Dominic Jones, a cornerback charged Monday with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the alleged rape of an 18-year-old woman in April, and three teammates -- running back E.J. Jones, defensive end Alex Daniels and defensive back Keith Massey were dismissed from the team on Wednesday.
"It is an honor and a privilege to wear the uniform of the University of Minnesota and we have exceedingly high expectations for each of our student-athletes," Brewster said in a statement issued by the university.
"We spend a considerable amount of time addressing our players regarding their personal conduct and we will not compromise our values. We are establishing a culture of integrity and we will demand that our players are held accountable for their actions," Brewster added.
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Dominic Jones, a junior and one of the team's best defensive players, is accused of having sex with a woman who was "physically helpless" after a night of binge drinking at a campus apartment in early April.
Investigators estimated the woman's blood-alcohol content was more than 0.30 when they say Daniels used his cell phone to film Jones having sex with the woman.
Forensic scientists later recovered a portion of the deleted film from the phone and say they have DNA evidence linking Jones to the woman.
Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman said Daniels, E.J. Jones and Massey also had sex with the woman earlier in the night. Freeman has not filed charges against those three but said they remain suspects in the case.
Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi said he supported the dismissals.
"I am in full support of the decision of coach Brewster and I appreciate how he has handled this very difficult situation," Maturi said in the statement. "While this issue is deeply disappointing, the Athletics Department is sending a clear and unmistakable message that it will never compromise its code of conduct."
The school said the dismissals do not immediately affect the four players' scholarship status or standing as students at the university, but both are subject to review by the NCAA and the school.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
