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Report: 5 Rutgers players arrested for assault, suspended

Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood stands on the sideline following a Nebraska touchdown in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood stands on the sideline following a Nebraska touchdown in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

The hits keep coming for Rutgers football.

As an investigation into head coach Kyle Flood for allegedly emailing a faculty member about defensive back Nadir Barnwell’s grade continues, five current Scarlet Knights were arrested Thursday for assault.

According to NJ.com, the five players arrested were Barnwell, defensive backs Andre Boggs, Ruhann Peele and Delon Stephenson and fullback Rahzonn Gross. Also involved was former defensive tackle Daryl Stephenson, Delon’s brother, who left the team in February. Daryl Stephenson, who is still a Rutgers student, remains at large.

According to a release from the Middlesex County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office, the arrests stem from the players’ involvement in an April attack on a group of "at least four" individuals, one of whom suffered a broken jaw. The attack was described by prosecutors as "unprovoked." They were charged with "aggravated assault, riot, and conspiracy to commit a riot," according to the release.

Additionally, Boggs was arrested on charges of "robbery, burglary while armed, and conspiracy to commit an armed robbery" for his alleged involvement in multiple home invasions along with Tejay Johnson, a former Rutgers player whose career ended in July 2014 due to injury.

From the release:

Police determined that Johnson and Andre Boggs, 20, of Coatesville, Pa., forced their way into the home and, armed with a bat and a knife, robbed a student of approximately $900 and an undisclosed amount of marijuana. They were arrested today on charges of robbery, burglary while armed, and conspiracy to commit an armed robbery.

Another student, Dylan Mastriana, 19, of Rio Grande, also was charged with those counts after the investigation determined that he helped plan the robbery.

In a third home invasion, Johnson and Boggs were charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and attempted burglary while armed for trying to force their way into another student's room in a dormitory complex at Livingston College in Piscataway on May 5, 2015.

The same charges also were filed against Mastriana, Jianan Chen, 19, of New Brunswick, and Kaylanna Ricks, 20, of Perth Amboy. The investigation showed that Mastriana and Chen planned the robbery, while Ricks drove Johnson and Boggs in a getaway vehicle.

Johnson and Boggs entered the dorm, but fled when the students targeted in the robbery resisted by closing and locking the door to their room as Johnson and Boggs attempted to force their way in. Nothing was stolen in that incident.

Police further determined that Johnson was one of six individuals who surrounded a group of at least four other individuals, including a Rutgers student, and assaulted them during an incident on Delafield Street on April 25, 2015.

Following news of the arrests, Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann announced the five players are suspended.

“The students involved are currently suspended from our program,” Hermann said in a statement. “We continue to monitor the situation. We will have no further comment as this is a pending legal matter.”

The Scarlet Knights, who were already without five players for the first half of the season opener against Norfolk State due to curfew violations.

For more Rutgers news, visit ScarletNation.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!