While Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was trying to do damage control in Atlanta during SEC Media Days, his program took another hit when it was announced Wednesday that wide receiver Malcolm Simmons was arrested for domestic abuse, according to AL.com.
Simmons was arrested and charged with domestic assault with strangulation or suffocation, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Department.
Simmons was booked into the Lee County Jail at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, and his bond was set at $20,000.
Auburn released a statement saying that they were aware of the situation and they are still getting the facts and will make a statement soon.
Simmons was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers last season. He caught 40 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns.
This is the second Auburnd football player to be arrested in two weeks. Linebacker DJ Barber was arrested on multiple drug charges and was recently dismissed from the team.His arrest came after a traffic stop in Dadeville, AL, where two and a half pounds of marijuana, THC vapes, digital scales, marijuana packaging, $1,897 in US currency, and a Glock 19 9mm pistol were recovered from the vehicle, according to a press release from the Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force.
Barber could be charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor. Freeze has come under heavy criticism from fans and the media recently because of the number of recruits that the team lacks and the fact that Freeze has appeared more on the golf course than on the recruiting trail, while rival Alabama has been busy this offseason picking up several four and five-star recruits.
And while Freeze sounded confident about his team going into this season, this latest incident involving another one of his players, won’t help his cause.