Kansas RB Pooka Williams agrees to diversion for domestic battery charge
Kansas running back Pooka Williams will enter a diversion program after reaching an agreement with Douglas County, Kansas, prosecutors on Friday regarding the domestic battery allegations against him.
Williams, Kansas’ standout offensive performer in 2018, allegedly punched a woman with whom he’d previously had a relationship in the stomach and grabbed her by the throat in December. According to police, Williams said he had gotten angry when he saw the woman in a room with other men.
According to the Lawrence Journal-World, Williams will have to do community service, and must avoid drugs and alcohol as part of the diversion program to avoid a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. He’ll likely have the charge drop after he completes the terms of the agreement.
Williams is required to complete 40 hours of community service by Nov. 30. He must also undergo a domestic violence offender assessment by April 30, and barring additional recommendations from the evaluator, he would have to complete an anger management course by Nov. 30.
Williams is also barred from drinking alcohol or taking recreational drugs and cannot contact the victim in the case for the duration of the 12-month agreement. Along with the agreement, Williams paid a $158 court fee.
Williams is still suspended
Williams was indefinitely suspended from the team after his Dec. 7 arrest. Kansas said there was no change in Williams’ status on Friday despite the diversion agreement.
Just in, this statement from KU spokesperson:
Pooka remains suspended from all team-related activities at this time while the university continues to evaluate the Dec. 5 incident. We continue to take this matter very seriously. #KUfball https://t.co/nf3UbSr2c6— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) March 29, 2019
Criminal charges being dropped or diversion agreements being reached do not prohibit universities from conducting their own Title IX investigations into allegations of violence.
Williams was Kansas’ leading rusher
Williams was suspended for Kansas’ first game of the season. He returned to be the team’s leading rusher with 161 carries for 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had 33 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns. The Jayhawks went 3-9 in 2018 and David Beaty was replaced as the team’s head coach by Les Miles.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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