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Report: Two Rutgers DBs suspended following paintball incident
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Two Rutgers defensive backs have been suspended after being taken into custody early Tuesday morning, according to a report from TheKnightReport.net. The arrests occurred following an incident with a paintball gun, per the report.
Head coach Greg Schiano released a statement following the news.
“I was informed that Chis Long and Malachi Melton were taken into police custody early this morning as a result of an incident involving a paint ball gun,” Schiano said. “Both players have been suspended immediately.”
#Rutgers DBs Malachi Melton and Chris Long have been suspended after they were taken into custody early this morning for a paintball gun incident per a tweet from @ChrisIseman.
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights | TheKnightReport.Net (@RutgersRivals) September 21, 2021
No further details on the incident were provided at the time of the report.
Melton has played really well through the first three games of the season for the Scarlet Knights. He’s been credited with 8 tackles, 4 pass break-ups, 2 interceptions and a pick-six during the 3-0 start.
Long has played in all three games for Rutgers this season but has not registered any statistics. He also played in 2 games during the 2020 campaign.
It’s unclear how long the two defensive backs will be suspended by the program. The loss of Melton is particularly big this week, as Rutgers travels to Ann Arbor to play No. 19 Michigan in the B1G opener for both teams.
Both Michigan and Rutgers are off to a 3-0 start.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB