Daquein McNeil is no longer a member of the Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team.
McNeil, 21, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of assault in November from an incident involving his then 28-year-old girlfriend.
According to the Star Tribune’s Amelia Rayno, McNeil did not enroll for classes for the university’s spring semester, and was automatically dropped from the roster.
“Daquein is not enrolled in classes at the university this semester, and as such is no longer a member of the men’s basketball team,” Gophers spokesperson Dan Reisig told the newspaper.
He was averaging 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Gophers, while providing some backcourt depth for the team. But McNeil has been suspended indefinitely since the incident.
The original complaint said McNeil went to his girlfriend of 10 month’s apartment and repeatedly poured cold water over her and then tried to strangle her while saying: “You ruined my life, now I am going to ruin yours.”
The allegations surfaced the day the Gophers were supposed to fly to New York for the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament. McNeil spent eight days – including Thanksgiving and his 21st birthday – in the Hennepin County Jail.
McNeil is facing charges of third-degree assault, a felony, and domestic assault by strangulation, also a felony. If he’s convicted of both charges, he could face up to eight years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine.
