New Mexico State starting QB Tyler Rogers arrested
New Mexico State quarterback Tyler Rogers’ status is up in the air after an arrest.
According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Rogers, who has started 15 games in two seasons at NMSU, turned himself in to authorities Friday on a misdemeanor battery charge in an alleged incident involving his girlfriend.
Rogers’ girlfriend told officers he grabbed her arm in an effort to pull her out of a vehicle. Police said he left the scene before officers arrived.
From the Sun-News:
Rogers’ girlfriend told police the two had arrived at her apartment complex after attending a party and had a verbal altercation. The incident became physical inside a vehicle believed to belong to Rogers, according to police documents.
“She was seated in the front passenger seat, at which point Mr. Rogers had gone over to her side of the vehicle and grabbed her by her upper left arm and began to pull her out of the vehicle,” according to the police report.
The police report stated that the alleged victim, “downplayed the incident and said that it wasn’t really anything and that the altercation did not get physical and didn’t consider Mr. Rogers grabbing her arm as being a physical altercation.”
LCPD officers stated the alleged victim declined to complete a domestic violence supplement report and that her left arm was photographed, although, “she did not sustain any visible injuries to the arm where she was grabbed.”
NMSU head coach Doug Martin said the program is monitoring the situation. In cases not involving felonies, the school allows coaches to discipline athletes charged with a criminal offenses.
“We are letting the process run through. Since it is a misdemeanor, there isn’t a suspension coming forth right now,” Martin said.
Added NMSU AD Mario Moccia: “I was very disappointed in hearing the news but we are in the information gathering stage. These are allegations that we take very seriously and we look forward to getting as much detail as possible so the university can be informed and the athletic department can make an informed decision moving forward.”
Rogers has thrown for 3,753 yards, 26 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in two seasons. He started 11 games in 2014 and four in 2015. He missed most of the 2015 season because of an injury.
In other NMSU quarterback news, Martin said Tyler Matthews has left the program. Matthews was a graduate transfer from Southern Miss where he backed up Nick Mullens. Matthews began his career at TCU, where he backed up Trevone Boykin.
Coming off a 3-9 record in 2015, NMSU opens up its season on Sept. 3 at home vs. UTEP. The Aggies also have JUCO transfer Conner Cramer and redshirt sophomore Nick Jeanty on the roster.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
