Gophers football player kicked off team after assault charge
A Gophers football player has been kicked off the team after he was charged with assaulting a police officer.
Maxwell Janes, 18, was arrested on felony charges following an alleged drunken assault in the early hours of Friday, Feb. 8 in downtown Minneapolis.
According to a criminal complaint, a Minneapolis police officer found him trying to break into to the Post Office at 1st Street South and Hennepin Avenue through the loading dock.
He appeared intoxicated and was "substantially underdressed" for the temperatures.
Officers took him into their squad car, at which time he said he needed to vomit. But as they opened the door for him, Janes punched one of the officers in the face.
He has been charged with 4th-degree assault.
According to his Gophers profile, Janes is a native of Shoreview who attended Mounds View High School. He is listed as a 6-foot-3, 230-pound tight end who played 13 games on special teams as a true freshman last season.
But the Pioneer Press reports he's now been kicked off the team, with Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck calling his alleged actions "completely unacceptable."
"We have extremely high standards for members of our team and when those standards are not met there are consequences," he said.
"Law enforcement officers speak to our team and educate them multiple times a year, and we greatly appreciate those who protect and serve us on a daily basis."
Janes' attorney Ryan Pacyga told FOX 9 his client is "deeply apologetic" and is seeking to make amends for his actions.
Raised on the Isle of Man, Adam has 15 years experience as a reporter and editor at regional and national level in the U.K. and the U.S. He moved to Minnesota in 2014 and became a writer for Bring Me The News. He is now the co-owner and editor of Bring Me The News and Bring Me The Sports, mixing in some occasional sports writing with his other editorial duties. He lists his three great loves as his family, Liverpool F.C. and baked beans (the British kind).