Vanderbilt football has cut Kayleb Barnett from the team after his arrest on charges that he strangled a man unconscious.
“We are aware of the situation. Kayleb Barnett violated team and university standards and is no longer with the program,” the school said in a statement, the Daily Mail reported.
Barnett was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge after a police officer reported seeing Barnett putting someone in a chokehold before the victim fell unconscious to the ground. Officers also reported blood on the ground around the victim, and they arrested the Vanderbilt receiver.
The victim told police he didn’t have any memory of what happened before he was left unconscious. And one of the victim’s associates said that Barnett threw the first punch.
A police report also claims that Barnett claimed the victim threw the first punch.
“The defendant stated a punch was thrown from the victim first, which the defendant dodged, and then the defendant stated he was holding the victim down to prevent him from continuing to assault him,” the police report says.
After police arrested Barnett, they reported finding two IDs on him—one, which showed that he is underage, and another which was someone else’s.
The player was arrested and released from the Davidson County detention center after posting a $5,000 bond.
Barnett was a three-star prospect in the class of 2025. He had seven receptions for 36 yards on the season, including two catches against Ole Miss.
As a freshman last year, he caught six passes for 53 yards and one touchdown.
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