Mississippi State's Jeffery Simmons apologizes after video of him striking woman surfaces

Jeffery Simmons, a five-star defensive end who committed to Mississippi State in February, apologized on Saturday after video surfaced of him allegedly striking a woman several times.

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Jeffery Simmons, a five-star defensive end who committed to Mississippi State in February, apologized on Saturday after video surfaced of him striking a woman several times.

In a video obtained by WCBI in Mississippi, Simmons is seen hitting a woman while she is on the ground. According to Jeffery, it was in response to comments the woman made in regard to a deceased family member.

“I take full responsibility for my actions that occurred on Thursday evening,” Simmons wrote in a Facebook post. “My apology goes out to the Taylor family and especially to Sophia Taylor. What was I thinking? Honestly, I wasn’t thinking, all I could think was this is my family and I am supposed to defend my family.”

According to WCBI, law enforcement is aware of the incident. The school has not commented.