NCAA News Wire
Texas suspends G Walker after assault charge
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The Texas Longhorns suspended sophomore guard Martez Walker indefinitely following his arrest on a misdemeanor assault charge, head coach Rick Barnes announced Friday.
On Wednesday night, a woman who stated to authorities that she was Walker’s girlfriend was transported to an Austin-area hospital for treatment after being assaulted in a campus dorm room.
“We are aware of the situation with Martez and he is cooperating with campus police officials,” Barnes said in a statement. “We have consistently stressed to all of our student-athletes for a long time that any behavior in which women are not treated with respect will not be tolerated.
“Pending resolution, Martez has been suspended indefinitely from our basketball program and will not participate in any team functions.”
The 6-foot-4 Walker, a native of Detroit, played just under 13 minutes per contest and averaged 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds as a freshman last season.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that, according to University of Texas police, the school was notified by Emergency Medical Services at 10:18 p.m. Wednesday that someone had been assaulted in the San Jacinto dorm. Upon arrival, EMS found a female UT student had sustained injuries and was transported to the hospital.
Walker turned himself into Travis County officials around midnight Friday, according to the newspaper. Court officials said Walker was released on a personal bond. Bail had been set at $7,500.
UT president Bill Powers released a statement Friday morning:
“Physical abuse and violence will not be tolerated at the University of Texas. We take this allegation extremely seriously. Coach Barnes has suspended the player from the team and the university has begun to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of our students, even as the investigation continues.”
