Florida TE pleads not guilty in battery case

Last Thursday, Florida sophomore tight end A.C. Leonard was arrested on a simple battery charge after an apparent physical altercation arose from a verbal spat with his girlfriend.

On Monday, Leonard entered a written plea of not guilty for the misdemeanor, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The police report from last week’s incident stated Leonard “shoved [his girlfriend] forcibly with both hands in her chest/neck area. The force of the shove knocked her down to the ground, causing her head to strike a dog cage that was behind her.”

Leonard then reportedly tried to force his girlfriend out of their apartment by her hair and then by her feet.

“She had chunks of hair ripped out of her head,” GPD spokeswoman Cpl. Angelina Valuri said last week.

Leonard was booked in jail for one night. Upon his release the next morning in front of a judge, Leonard said “I never hit her. I just wanted her to leave.”

Leonard has been suspended from team activities by coach Will Muschamp.