A member of the Marshall University football team is facing charges of battery after police arrested him Wednesday for beating up two gay men.
According to the Huntington Herald-Dispatch, Steward Butler, a backup running back at Marshall, turned himself in Wednesday morning and did not comment on the incident at his arraignment hearing. He was later released on $10,000 bond.
On April 5, Butler allegedly punched the two victims in their faces when he was passing them by in a vehicle and saw them kiss. The complainants said Butler shouted homophobic insults at them as he exited the car and approached them.
"We are aware of the situation... and are currently in the process of gathering all available information," Marshall athletics spokesman Jason Corriher said in a prepared statement, declining to comment on Butler's status with the team. "We will handle the matter internally and appropriately."
The battery charges against Butler are misdemeanors, but Huntington Police Detective Chris Sperry is reportedly consulting with the FBI to determine whether or not there are any civil rights violations, the Dispatch learned.
Sperry told the newspaper one of the victims recorded the incident on video, noting it was a vicious attack regardless of the victims' sexual orientation.
