This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Florida State University has dismissed freshman quarterback De’Andre Johnson from their football team after video footage released on Monday showed him punching a woman at a bar in Tallahassee last month.

In a brief statement late on Monday, coach Jimbo Fisher announced Johnson’s immediate dismissal from the FSU program. “De’Andre Johnson has been dismissed from the football team effective immediately. Johnson was indefinitely suspended on June 25 following initial reports of an incident that occurred off campus and resulted in a criminal charge.”

Johnson, 19, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery following the incident at Yianni’s bar in Tallahassee on 24 June. The footage shows Johnson in an altercation with a woman at the bar, and the pair appear to jostle and argue for a few seconds. Johnson places his hands on the unnamed woman, and she raises her hands and aims a fist at Johnson. Johnson responds by punching her in the face, as drinks are sent flying across the bar.

The video was made public on Monday.

State’s attorney Willie Meggs said he will prosecute the case. After reviewing the footage, which was captured by security cameras inside the bar, Meggs made the decision to charge Johnson. The quarterback, 19, turned himself in at the Leon County jail six days after the incident, when a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Meggs said Johnson punched the woman, an FSU student, in the nose, and that she still has a black eye. According to the police report, the woman suffered bruising near her left eye, swelling of the left cheek and upper lip, and a small cut near the bridge of her nose.

“The video is very telling. She is going to be a good witness,” Meggs told ESPN last week.

Last week, Coach Fisher indefinitely suspended Johnson for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Johnson enrolled at FSU in January after graduating early from First Coast high school in Jacksonville.

The Johnson family have taken on prominent attorney Jose Baez, best known for obtaining an acquittal in the Casey Anthony murder trial in 2011.

Baez said on Monday before Johnson’s expulsion: “While it is clear from the video that De’Andre Johnson was not the initial aggressor, his family wants to take the lead in helping him learn and grow from this experience. He is currently participating in community service and faith-based programs focused on battered women, substance abuse and the empowerment of children.

“De’Andre is extremely embarrassed by this situation and would like to express his heartfelt apologies to everyone, including those who were directly affected, Coach Fisher and his teammates, the entire Florida State University community, as well as his family and friends.”

Baez also alleges that the woman directed “racial epithets” at Johnson.



Johnson, a freshman, was in contention to replace star quarterback Jameis Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner who was selected as the No 1 draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April’s NFL draft.