Central Michigan RB Thomas Rawls agrees to plea deal, placed back on active roster
A week after being suspended indefinitely following an arrest, top Central Michigan running back Thomas Rawls was placed back onto the active roster Tuesday a few hours after he reached a plea deal.
Rawls was suspended prior to CMU’s home game against Syracuse following his Sept. 14 arrest for an April incident where he and two others stole a purse from a Michigan casino. Initially, per the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun, Rawls was charged with three felonies stemming from the incident. Tuesday, Rawls reached an agreement to “enter a guilty plea to one count of attempted larceny in a building,” a misdemeanor.
Additionally, the judge “allowed an exception for ‘travel related to team activities,’” which allows Rawls to travel with the team. As part of the agreement, Rawls agreed to testify against “any co-defendants in the case.”
The incident in question reportedly took place April 8. Police say Rawls and another man “conspired to steal a purse left on a table in a sub sandwich shop inside the casino.”
Rawls, who transferred to CMU from Michigan, said he did not take the contents of the purse, but he did admit that he assisted his friend “in doing it.”
Though the program reinstated him, it is not known if he will play Saturday in the Chippewas’ MAC opener at Toledo.
The offense has struggled without Rawls in losses to Syracuse and Kansas. In the two games with Rawls – wins over Chattanooga and Purdue – Rawls ran for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 56 carries.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
