UC Bearcats Quarterback Jarred Evans Found Not Guilty Of Assault

Cincinnati Bearcats backup quarterback Jarred Evans has been found not guilty of assault. This via Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Kevin Grasha.

Evans was arrested in the hours following UC’s throttling of the SMU Mustangs in mid-October. The Bearcats’ dual-threat quarterback spelled Gunner Kiel after the game became quite winnable, leading all rushers with 67 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Not uncommon for college students to do, Evans celebrated the win and his performance by going out the following night.

But he got himself into trouble, with initial reports indicated he punched sophomore Ryan Smith in the early hours of Sunday morning. Evans was detained and booked later that morning and Tommy Tuberville suspended him from the team until he “cleared his name”.

As the days became shorter and the UC quarterback’s court case dragged on, details started leaking that shed more light on the situation. Details like the fact that Evans was antagonized with racial slurs into throwing a punch. It could be this reason why his assault charge has been dropped.

I’m rather shocked Evans got off relatively scot-free. While apparently instigated by Smith, he did throw the first punch. But the jury deemed it self-defense as Smith’s testimony of pretty much minding his own business didn’t pass the BS test.

It remains to be seen though if Evans has done enough to get back into Tuberville’s good graces. The head coach has given him the benefit of the doubt and let the judicial process play out before handing down his own punishment. If the courts find Evans not guilty, I’m sure Tuberville will do the same as the UC quarterback stayed away from the team during this time as instructed.