UF sophomore cornerback Jacques Rickerson was arrested early Tuesday morning on charges of domestic battery by strangulation and obstruction of justice, both felony charges, by the Gainesville Police Department.
Rickerson is not a member of the team anymore, coach Urban Meyer said in a statement released Tuesday morning.
"Jacques Rickerson is no longer part of our team - that is not what our program is about," Meyer said. "My focus and our team's focus is with the players who are part of the program and preparing for the Vanderbilt game."
The incident occurred at Lexington Crossing Apartments, and Rickerson was later booked at 7:51 a.m.
When Rickerson was asked to leave the residence, he became upset and struck the victim on the side of her face, according to the arrest report. Rickerson then went on to use his hand to choke the victim, and when the victim called for help, Rickerson pushed her face deep into a mattress and covered her face with a pillow, according to the report.
After Rickerson let go of the victim, he blocked her exit out of the room and would not allow her to call the authorities as he was holding her cell phone, the report stated.
The victim sustained visible injuries to her arm, neck and upper chest, according to the report.
The report said Rickerson and the victim had been dating for over a year.
He was still in jail as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Rickerson is a backup cornerback and has played sparingly this year after coming in as a four-star cornerback, according to Scout.com.
After Monday's practice, Meyer would not comment on the Rickerson situation other than saying it was "disappointing." When asked if his absence would impact the depth of the secondary, Meyer said it will have "no impact at all."
Junior linebacker Brandon Spikes said the players have not talked about Rickerson's incident as a team yet.
