Two BC Football Players Charged in Bar Brawl Near North Station

The Boston Herald reported that two Boston College football players, Gosder Cherlius and DeJuan Tribble, as well as off-duty state police Sgt. Joseph Boike, have been charged with assault and battery for a brawl at the Greatest Bar near North Station in early July.

In a previous post, I tried to sort out the mess of details in the original Boston Globe report. I couldn't figure out what to believe:

Depending on whose story you believe, the 6-foot-7 and 318-pound Cherilus may have only been breaking up a fight by one-arm bear-holding/carrying Maney, or he may have been strangleholding Maney while Tribble punched Maney. Maney may have initiated the fight by sucker-punching Boike, or not. Boike may have hit Maney over the head with a bottle, or not. Everyone seems to deny that they did anything wrong. I had to read the Globe article several times to figure out all the accusations and counter-accusations.

Based on the charges that have now been filed, the police appear to believe the story of Maney, the victim who suffered spinal injuries requiring emergency surgery, not the story by BC footballers Cherilus and Tribble or off-duty state police officer Boike. Based on the little information we have, though, I would doubt that any of us know the true story yet.

The football players' status for playing this season, as well as their status as students, may be in question based on BC's new "zero-tolerance policy" on undergraduate student behavior. But BC appears to have already decided that they can play ball, according to the Boston Globe:

A BC football spokesman said that Cherilus, 23, a 6-foot-7-inch, 319-pound former standout at Somerville High School, and Tribble, 22, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound cornerback from Cincinnati, remain in good standing on the team. Both are graduates who remain eligible to play as fifth-year seniors. They practiced with the team after testifying at the court hearing.