Texans cut receiver after prior sexual misconduct violation comes to light
The Houston Texans have cut wide receiver Keith Mumphery after it was revealed this week that the former Michigan State player was expelled in 2016 and banned from campus for violating the university’s sexual misconduct policy, as reported by the Free Press.
Mumphery was accused of sexually assaulting a female student in her dorm room in 2015. According to the campus police report, the two met on a dating website a few months prior to the alleged incident on March 17 of that year. They agreed to meet at her dorm room, and the report offers conflicting accounts of the nature of their sexual behavior that night.
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The alleged encounter occurred the night before the Michigan State pro day, where Mumphery worked out in front of NFL scouts. The Texans would go on to draft Mumphery in Round 5 of the 2015 NFL draft (175th overall pick). His NFL.com draft profile indicates that he was “a hardworking leader and the kind of guy every college coach wants on his team,” but the details of this case — if true — suggest that might not have been the case.
The female student alerted MSU Police about the incident on the night in question, and they forwarded the case to the county prosecutor’s office. In August 2015, the prosecutor’s office declined to press charges because the case couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and the accuser would not speak to them further about the case.
Mumphery’s case was reviewed later by the university, and on June 7, 2016 he was notified by email that he had violated the school’s policy on relationship violence and sexual misconduct. Mumphery therefore was not allowed to re-enroll in the school “in any capacity” and has been banned from campus until Dec. 31, 2018. He would be subject to arrest if he violates that order.
Mumphery, who turns 25 on Monday, played in all 16 regular-season games (three starts) as a rookie in 2015 with the Texans, catching 14 passes for 129 yards. In 10 games (two starts) in 2016, Mumphery caught 10 passes for 69 yards. In three postseason games the past two seasons, he caught one pass for 7 yards.
The Texans also released linebacker Max Bullough, who also played with Mumphery at Michigan State.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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