Jim Connell

USA TODAY NETWORK

Hours after a Facebook post alleged animal abuse, Missouri State quarterback Breck Ruddick was suspended indefinitely by Bears coach Dave Steckel.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Missouri State’s Office of Student Conduct is taking over the investigation of animal abuse allegations levied against Bears quarterback Breck Ruddick.

Ruddick was suspended from the team on Friday night for “conduct detrimental to the team,” hours after a post on Facebook detailed allegations that the sophomore from Marion, Ark., beat a friend’s 42-pound Australian shepherd, Luca.

The school announced that Reddick will not return to team activities “until the situation is resolved,” according to a Friday night news release from the school’s sports information department. That release didn't make the connection between the abuse allegations and the suspension.

Clarity came Saturday night, when the school confirmed the suspension was tied to the abuse allegations and said the investigation is being handled by the Office of Student Conduct. He will remain suspended indefinitely.

"It’s obviously very serious," athletic director Kyle Moats said Saturday night. "Not only athletics, but the entire university takes it very seriously. That’s why there will be an internal investigation conducted by our Student Conduct office. We’ll take it from there once we find out what the findings are."

The move to the Office of Student Conduct is a change from Friday night’s announcement, in which Moats said the suspension was falling under the school’s Student-Athlete Code of Conduct. The university said the move is being made because of the serious nature of the allegations.

"We take great pride in our student-athletes doing the right thing," Moats said. "Again, we have to wait and see what happens."

After the Office of Student Conduct completes its investigation, the findings will be turned over to the athletic department for team discipline, then will begin university disciplinary action, if appropriate.

According to the Missouri State website, the Office of Student Conduct is responsible for the implementation of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, adjudicating alleged violations of the code and safeguarding student rights.

The code includes sections on how violations of law and university conduct are handled, and conduct policies, in which any member of the university community may file a complaint with the Dean of Students' Office against any student for misconduct.

The case would then go before the conduct officer for a hearing.

Ruddick traveled with the team for Saturday night’s game at Kansas State. The team made the trip on the bus on Friday, and Moats said Ruddick remained in Manhattan before coming back with the team after Saturday night's rain-shortened game.

Moats said there is no timetable for a resolution.

"We want to make sure it’s thorough and we do it right, and however long that takes," Moats said.

The Facebook post was made about 1:30 p.m. Friday by a woman who said she’s a friend of the owner of Luca. It was accompanied by photos of injuries allegedly caused by Ruddick, including a broken jaw and loss of some teeth.

According to the post, Ruddick let the dog loose after the injuries were caused, and the dog wasn’t located by the owner until a day later.

Lisa Cox, the public information officer for Springfield Police Department, said she is not aware of any reports or investigations being conducted by the SPD. Officials with Animal Control could not be reached for comment Saturday.

A petition on change.org calling on Missouri State football coach Dave Steckel to permanently remove Ruddick from the team has gathered thousands of signatures.

Ruddick was previously active on Twitter, but his account was deleted on Friday.

Jim Connell writes for the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.

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