HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick says running back Steward Butler has been dismissed from the team after the player was charged in the beating of two gay men.
Butler was arraigned on two misdemeanor battery counts Wednesday.
Huntington police Detective Chris Sperry says in criminal complaints that Butler got out of a car after seeing the men kissing on a street on April 5 in Huntington. Sperry said Butler allegedly then began shouting derogatory words about their sexual orientation and punched the men.
Butler was suspended indefinitely earlier in the day, and Hamrick says he and coach Doc Holliday agreed to the dismissal after learning more about the case.
Butler’s attorney didn’t immediately return a telephone message.
Butler was Marshall’s second-leading rusher last season with 798 yards and seven touchdowns.
