A UF linebacker was arrested Sunday after police said he punched a bouncer over a cover charge.
A group of men was waiting in front of Kava Lounge, 1007 W. University Ave., when 19-year-old Antonio Morrison cut the line.
He walked up to bouncer Omar Alajlani to ask about the entrance fee, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report. The lounge’s Facebook page lists its price range from $0 to $10.
At about 2 a.m., Morrison started arguing with Alajlani and yelling because he didn’t want to pay full price, according to the report.
“Don’t you know who I am? I’m a UF football player,” he said, according to the report. “I’m Antonio!”
When Alajlani told Morrison he must pay full price, Morrison punched him in the head and left, according to the report.
Morrison was arrested at Springs Complex on the UF campus and booked into the Alachua County Jail early Sunday on a charge of simple battery.
He told officers he got into a scuffle with the bouncer, according to the report.
He said he didn’t remember much because he was drunk at the time.
He was later released.
In an official statement, UF football spokesman Steve McClain said Will Muschamp was aware of the situation and was handling it.
Morrison was expected to start at middle linebacker in the 2013 season as a sophomore after being listed as a starter on UF’s first depth chart released by Muschamp following spring practices.
He arrived at Florida in 2012 as a four-star recruit out of Bolingbrook, Ill., and appeared in all 13 games last year — starting three in the regular season.
Morrison finished 2012 with 34 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble — a key play against Florida State that shifted momentum in Florida’s favor during its 37-26 victory Nov. 24.
He is the 14th Gator arrested or cited since Muschamp began his tenure at Florida in January 2011, including former players Janoris Jenkins and Matt Elam and current players Marcus Roberson and Loucheiz Purifoy.
The last Gator football player arrested for battery was A.C. Leonard, who police said physically abused his longtime girlfriend in February 2012, according to Alligator archives.
UF linebacker Antonio Morrison, 19, was arrested Sunday after police say he punched a bouncer over cover charge.
