WATCH: EKU football player body-slams police officer during arrest
Screenshot: TMZ Sports
A linebacker at Eastern Kentucky University is in serious trouble.
Michael Harris, a former four-star linebacker in the class of 2018 and Auburn transfer, has been charged with three counts of felony assault on a police officer, along with misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct (two counts), resisting arrest (two counts), obstructing officials business (two counts), and persistent disorderly conduct while intoxicated (two counts) after body-slamming an officer in Grove City, Ohio this week.
TMZ Sports obtained video footage of the incident, with police confronting an “erratic” Harris in a parking lot and the situation escalating from there.
Check it out:
According to the official arrest report, the incident occurred on Monday, Feb. 10, with Harris since being transferred to the Franklin County Ohio Jail.
TMZ Sports reports that a woman in Grove City called the police to inform them of a man acting “aggressive” and “did not seem to be ‘all there.'”
After arriving on the scene, things quickly turned physical, with the EKU linebacker eventually picking up one officer and slamming him to the ground before ultimately being restrained and arrested.
According to the report, the officer avoided any serious injury in the fall, with the officers actually taking Harris to the hospital to “get checked out” before he was taken to jail.
The report also adds that in a search of Harris’ vehicle, they found pills and a digital scale that is “consistent with drug use,” though officers noted that the EKU linebacker denied use of medications or “illicit drugs.”
In an email sent to the Eastern Progress, EKU assistant athletics director for communications and branding Kevin Britton said the school “cannot comment further” on the situation, outside of Harris’ current status as a redshirt sophomore on the football roster and student at the school.
“Michael Harris is currently enrolled at EKU and is listed as a redshirt sophomore on the EKU football roster. EKU cannot comment further on current team status or potential disciplinary action related to a specific student-athlete due to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA),” Britton said in an email, via the Eastern Progress.
UPDATE (5:40 p.m.): EKU has suspended Harris indefinitely. Britton released this statement to KSR on the matter.
Eastern Kentucky University Athletics is actively monitoring an incident involving one of our student-athletes, Mr. Michael Harris, that resulted in criminal charges against Mr. Harris.
Mr. Harris is currently enrolled at EKU and listed as a redshirt sophomore on the EKU football roster. He has been suspended from all team and football-related activities at this time.
Understanding that details of the incident are still under investigation, and, abiding by FERPA laws and regulations, we must respect the privacy of our students. When the facts are established, and the investigation complete, Eastern Kentucky University and EKU Athletics will decide how to move forward responsibly.
We will have no further comment at this time.
46 Comments for WATCH: EKU football player body-slams police officer during arrest
Boy that escalated quickly. That’s why you keep your head on a swivel.
He’s probably lucky he didn’t get shot.. it’s never a good idea to physically threaten or harm a police officer. What an idiot
What an idiot. Good thing there is footage or we would have been told how white cops attacked an innocent black man.
We don’t know if he’s guilty of anything. How do you know he’s not innocent?
They smelled alcohol, disorderly conduct, tried to elude, attempted to body slam an officer smh, what you talkin bout Willis,?
To be more clear… IF you were a black man and you did nothing wrong, but two cops who happened to be white were harassing you for what appeared to be nothing of substance, how might you respond? Look, I’m not saying his behavior is justified because I have no idea what is happening there. What I’m saying is that you most likely don’t know either, so how are you so quick to arrive at a conclusion that includes racism?
When you step AT a COP…YOU DONE…PERIOD. I am sure you watched the video…sometimes maybe twice for you to see he came AT the officer…RESULTS= JAIL…!
Yes, I agree that his actions are wrong. I agree that the color SHOULDN’T matter, but it does. It matters to black people that deal with racial preference STILL every day in this country. Not all of them deal with it, and not all white people are problems. But it does still happen, and I have some level of understanding and compassion for those that still deal with it. All I’m trying to do is increase awareness. I’m not trying to excuse this scenario or any specific other scenario. But I do know what discrimination feels like. It’s really difficult to understand until you’ve experienced it.
Bluebloodtoo, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white and it doesn’t matter if the cops are black or white, when they are there for whatever reason and are talking to you you don’t try to fight them!! You go along with them and say yes Sir, no sir!!
What about “if you’re a black man and two cops that happen to be white harass you, how might you respond”? That’s the stupidest thing anyone has ever asked here!! What the hell does it matter what color you are!!! Anyway, I’ll still answer it for you!! YOU COMPLY 100% WITH THE OFFICERS!! Worst case, you go to jail.
BlueBlood, did you not watch the footage or did you choose to see what you wanted? You literally watched him assault an officer, yet we dont know if he’s guilty? Uhh ok. I guess you really believed Michael Brown had his hands up too. FYI, it doesnt matter what color the cop is. You dont act like that with cops, period! A lot of people act just like this and then when they end up killed, it was a racist cops fault. Also, you really need to look up the definition of racism because there was nothing revolving around racism that I said. Just the fact that when white cops and a black man is involved, it’s best to have footage so you can discredit anyone saying what they want…aka “Michael Brown had his hands up sayin don’t shoot” When the reality was, he reached through the officers car window and then charged at him like a line backer.
Geez, what is it with EKU football players and violent assaults? First Drew Barker, now this. 😉
(Yes, I do know that UK football players have had incidents of violent assaults as well…)
People, please teach your children that there is no such thing as “winning” an altercation with police. You will lose, you may ruin your life, and you may end your life. Police have the backing off all society that their will be law and order. Imagine a world where police just gave in like, “well he fought back really hard, so I left him off the hook”. This doesn’t work because it would encourage violence. So every story is, “He escalated the situation, so we had to use more force. He turned a misdemeanor into multiple felonies in the process. Now his life is trash.”
It may seem like playing football at EKU is as low as life can get, but jail and a lifetime of struggling to get a job as a convicted felon is may be even worse.
Your first two sentences says it all. My dad used to say, when they get those handcuffs on you there’s nothing you can do. You’d better cooperate..
Note that he was a transfer from Auburn. Don’t know if that was because of disciplinary reasons, or if he just wanted more playing time, but in any case, the young man had a golden opportunity to graduate with a college degree with ZERO college debt, and that is something that a LOT of people would be happy to have. Very sad that he may have just tossed this opportunity in the toilet for a very stupid action. Sounds like he was into something that was taking him down the wrong path in the first place. Some people are their own worst enemy.
Ex-Football Player NOW…never step toward a cop…he should of been tased immediately…stuffed and cuffed! Sad.
You call that a body slam?
Yeah, I thought some sensationalism was at work there too.
It’s TMZ, so…
That’s my biggest question. A hug and sling isn’t quite the same. I was expecting to see something where the officer got legit slammed by the guy.
He didn’t slam him per se, but he did pick the dude up off the ground like a sack of potatoes, so that is never going to end well when it is a police officer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O5R85OVMcg&frags=pl%2Cwn
Yeah, if that’s their idea of a slam, I feel bad of OP’s girlfriend.
That poor little female midget midget cop lol…earning that paycheck!
And that poor little “ex-football” player just earned himself three free hots and a cot…LOL…for assault on a Police Officer…He definitely got a sack on the cop, must a thought he was in a game but his technique on the take down needed some improvement though…didn’t thrust with the hips…LOL…how bout you…come on
Ok, so that happened. But what the heck was an EKU football player even doing in suburban Columbus on a Monday?
Weed run?
?
The most interesting part to me was when he folded over in a fetal position and put his hood on and covered his head with his arms to try to protect himself. He’s obviously terrified of the police (and with good reason). But you cant touch a cop! Even if you just lifted him up and gently layed him back down, that’s gonna get you multiple felonies and many years in federal prison.
He only did that because he knew he was about to get pepper sprayed.
That other cop was a HUGE help
He deserved to get arrested but they always turn something into multiple felonies. There is no way in hell that should be a felony charge.
If you were a cop I’d say you’d have a different opinion about that.
i would say the drugs found in his car and erratic behavior mixed with him trying to assault a police officer and then shoved the lady officer says different. His intent was to lift the officer up and slam him in the pavement, can’t go by end result because he failed to accomplish it. What other purpose to you think he had lifting the officer up in the air ? If the officer did not get him in a front face lock (front choke hold), he might have carried out his intentions. The police officers opened dialogue and where courteous in the beginning, he was the one who escalated the situation. he stepped toward the officer and invaded his space and put his hands on him.
Assaulting a police officer is a felony. Assaulting EMS is a felony. Assaulting a sports referee is a felony. If you don’t agree with it don’t do it.
As bad as the officiating has been in college and the NFL these last few years smacking a ref should get a first round pick not charges.
It’s comes down to respect for the law
A registered DemocRat. Surprise, surprise…
Registered idiot, NO Surprise ^^^^
Looother we get it your uncle was a Democrat and he hurt you, they say the first part to healing is letting it go.
I can’t believe this officer was so kind. Attempting to body slam a police officer usually gets one shot. SMH what a lucky man this was. I hope he learned a lesson because the next time he pulls a stunt like that the officer may be a little less tolerant and we will have a dead man
Really dumb.
first, the police where called because a store attendant said he was wondering around in a daze and acted as if he wasn’t ‘right”. The officers approached him and opened the dialogue. Then the guy gets on the defensive being aggressive and actually steps to the one officer and gets up in his space and maybe even touching him. the officer instructed him to back up and then it became a serious of grabbing each other by both. The guy suddenly turns and opens his car door. He was erratic during the whole thing. The police he needed to be DETAINED, not arrested, and then he took it to a whole different level. After, their was pills, scales, and other contraband in the car. he knew he was in deep trouble and tried to bully his way out. Funny thing is, while being lifted, the cop locks in a front choke and holds it until he is cuffed. The officers did nothing wrong here, save the black man and police blah blah.
Female cop was worthless in this situation
I’ve been a corrections officer for 10 years, and I’ll say the cops handled that very very well…
With all the hate cops get if a minority happens to get shot even when it was neccessary(and yes I know sometimes it isn’t) these cops should be given the key to the city, a promotion, and an extended paid vacation. He got lucky because they could have killed him.
3 on 1…that seems fair.