Two URI Football Players Arrested For Sending 3 Chi Phi Bros To The Hospital In Frat House Fight
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — Two University of Rhode Island football players are charged with assaulting members of a campus fraternity over the weekend.
According to URI police, Barrett Lyons and Michael LeBlanc were arrested following an incident at the Chi Phi house at about 2:50 a.m. Sunday.
The university said six fraternity brothers were injured in the incident. Three were transported to South County Hospital to be treated for injuries.
Police were patrolling the area of Fraternity Circle when they observed a large group of people outside of Chi Phi, several with injuries. The officers stopped a black pickup truck that was leaving the area and questioned the six occupants. Lyons and LeBlanc were taken into custody shortly after, according to campus officials.
“They found there was a pretty large fight inside the Chi Phi Fraternity, and a number of the fraternity brothers were injured,” said Stephen Baker, Director of Public Safety at URI. “Broken noses, some pretty severe lacerations. We’ve since learned that there could be a person with a fractured jaw and fractured arm.”
Lyons, 19, of Belmont, Mass., and LeBlanc, 20, of Charlton, Mass., will be arraigned next week on assault and disorderly conduct charges. Police said misdemeanor charges could be upgraded to felonies pending the outcome of their investigation. Underage drinking charges are also possible if they determine that alcohol was involved.
LeBlanc, a freshman, has been permanently dismissed from the team, according to URI. The school said Lyons and a third player, 18-year-old Nate Pauls of Hammonton, New Jersey, have been suspended indefinitely, also pending the outcome of the police investigation. Four other players were suspended for this Saturday’s home game against Delaware. All seven will have judicial hearing with the university and were issued no trespass orders from Chi Phi.
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Feel like it’s been “tough seasons get even tougher” day around here today. Tennessee rumors of Butch Jones assaulting his own players…Texas players openly fighting with each other on Twitter…Auburn’s star receiver kicked off the team…now Rhode Island football having to kick off/suspend two of their players for kicking the shit out of some Chi Phi frat bros. When it rains, it pours, whether you’re a big time program in the SEC or a doormat of the CAA.
Kind of wish we have video of the fight to be honest – sounds like a doozy. 3 frat bros sent to the hospital? Broken noses, fractured arms, fractured jaws, deep lacerations? That’s a legit brawl.