Benevolent One
Team Owner
Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy was meeting with athletic director Pete Boone in a downtown Cincinnati hotel after Kennedy was arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly assaulting a cab driver.
The pair were expected to release a statement later Thursday after the meeting, which will determine if Kennedy would be allowed to coach Thursday night's game against No. 9 Louisville (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
According to Cincinnati police, the 40-year-old Kennedy was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge for allegedly punching 25-year-old cab driver Mohammed Ould Jiddou in the face while shouting racial slurs. The assault happened at 1 a.m. ET in downtown Cincinnati, according to the police report.
Mississippi spokesman Joey Jones, traveling with the team, said Thursday that a decision on Kennedy's status would be made after the meeting.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kennedy has hired former Hamilton County prosecutor Mike Allen to represent him.
Allen entered a plea of not guilty on Kennedy's behalf Thursday morning and said Kennedy "emphatically denies this and emphatically denies making any racial slurs," according to the Enquirer.
A pretrial hearing has been set for Jan. 16.
If Kennedy doesn't coach Thursday night, assistant Michael White would coach the team against the Cardinals, according to Jones.
According to the Cincinnati Police Department arrest report, Kennedy "was the aggressor that punched listed victim with a closed fist. [Kennedy] also was using racial slurs while punching victim. There was an unrelated witness that observed the whole incident."
The victim, according to the police report, sustained injuries described as a "swollen left face."
The Rebels (7-3), considered one of the best teams in the SEC West entering this season, are playing Louisville as part of the Big East/SEC Invitational.
Kennedy, in his third season with the Rebels, was the interim head coach of Cincinnati after his good friend Bob Huggins was fired prior to the 2005-06 season. He had been an assistant with the Bearcats for the previous five seasons.
Does anyone who lives down in that area know anything more about this?
The pair were expected to release a statement later Thursday after the meeting, which will determine if Kennedy would be allowed to coach Thursday night's game against No. 9 Louisville (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
According to Cincinnati police, the 40-year-old Kennedy was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge for allegedly punching 25-year-old cab driver Mohammed Ould Jiddou in the face while shouting racial slurs. The assault happened at 1 a.m. ET in downtown Cincinnati, according to the police report.
Mississippi spokesman Joey Jones, traveling with the team, said Thursday that a decision on Kennedy's status would be made after the meeting.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kennedy has hired former Hamilton County prosecutor Mike Allen to represent him.
Allen entered a plea of not guilty on Kennedy's behalf Thursday morning and said Kennedy "emphatically denies this and emphatically denies making any racial slurs," according to the Enquirer.
A pretrial hearing has been set for Jan. 16.
If Kennedy doesn't coach Thursday night, assistant Michael White would coach the team against the Cardinals, according to Jones.
According to the Cincinnati Police Department arrest report, Kennedy "was the aggressor that punched listed victim with a closed fist. [Kennedy] also was using racial slurs while punching victim. There was an unrelated witness that observed the whole incident."
The victim, according to the police report, sustained injuries described as a "swollen left face."
The Rebels (7-3), considered one of the best teams in the SEC West entering this season, are playing Louisville as part of the Big East/SEC Invitational.
Kennedy, in his third season with the Rebels, was the interim head coach of Cincinnati after his good friend Bob Huggins was fired prior to the 2005-06 season. He had been an assistant with the Bearcats for the previous five seasons.
Does anyone who lives down in that area know anything more about this?
