McGill Redmen football player released on bail
Luis-Andres Guimont-Mota also accused of uttering threats
A McGill Redmen university football player in Montreal charged with assault and uttering threats has been released on bail.
The accused, Luis-Andres Guimont-Mota, was arrested yesterday at an apartment near the McGill University campus after an incident involving his wife.
Guimont-Mota, 23, is in his third season with the Redmen and is considered the team's star running back.
The details of the allegations were not released, but Guimont-Mota's lawyer said his client is himself a victim of assault.
Steve Hanafi said his client will meet with the university to give his side of story, but those arrangements have not been finalized.
"I think they acted too fast just to protect your image and they don't know the facts," Hanafi said outside the courtroom.
McGill University issued a statement late Wednesday night, stating it was informed one of its players had been arrested earlier in the day.
"In line with the university’s varsity athletics guidelines, effective immediately, this player is suspended from the football team pending resolution of his case by the court," deputy provost Ollivier Dyens said in a statement.
Guimont-Mota, a business management student, was awarded the team's 2013 Dan Pronyk Memorial Trophy for most outstanding offensive player.
Guimont-Mota is not the first McGill football player to face criminal charges in recent years. Three Redmen players are accused of sexually assaulting a former Concordia University student in September 2011 and are awaiting trial.
The whole issue of domestic violence in football has gained wider attention in recent weeks following revelations of abuse allegedly committed by several NFL players. The league has been roundly accused of failing to adequately address the problem.
The city's CFL team, the Montreal Alouettes, today released a statement saying team officials will bring in an outreach worker from a local organization that supports victims of family violence.
"Domestic violence is an issue the Alouettes do not take lightly. We have been in contact with Le Bouclier d'Athéna organization to have a spokesperson of theirs address our players about the issue over the next days," Alouettes spokesman Charles Rooke told CBC News in an email.