North Carolina starting linebacker Travis Hughes charged with assault, suspended from team
North Carolina starting linebacker Travis Hughes was charged with misdemeanor assault on a government official Thursday after an altercation with a campus parking enforcement officer.
Hughes has been suspended from all team activities, team spokesperson Kevin Best confirmed. Best said the altercation took place Thursday morning near Hughes’ on-campus residence and according to the Associated Press, no one was injured during the altercation.
University police spokesman Randy Young told the AP that an officer was “preparing to ticket Hughes’ vehicle and arrange for towing.” Hughes then approached the officer, “took exception” and then allegedly assaulted the officer before driving away.
Hughes was pulled over and arrested less than a mile away from where the incident occurred, Young said.
Hughes, who will be a senior next season, started 11 games for the Tar Heels last season and was fifth on the team with 76 tackles. He also registered 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack before missing the team’s Belk Bowl win over Cincinnati with a knee injury.
This is not Hughes’ first run-in with the law since arriving in Chapel Hill. According to the News Observer, he was charged for possession of drug paraphernalia in Durham County last January.
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