10:03 pm | July 24, 2018 | Go to Source | Author: Graham Hall
Florida freshman football player Justin Watkins was booked on four charges Tuesday, including two felony charges, according to Alachua County court records.
Watkins was charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery and two third-degree felonies — false imprisonment of an adult and domestic battery by strangulation, according to court records.
Watkins, 19, remained in the Alachua County jail at the time of publication.
UF sports information director Steve McClain confirmed UF coach Dan Mullen has suspended Watkins from all team activities.
It’s the second time in three months Watkins has found himself charged with a crime involving a female victim.
Watkins was arrested in Ocala in May for allegedly breaking a woman’s phone and kicking her car. The police report indicated Watkins then followed the woman to Vanguard High School, where he was not a student, and continued kicking her car. Watkins was subsequently charged for trespassing on school grounds.
Watkins, a former four-star prospect out of East Ridge High in Clermont, enrolled at Florida in June for the Summer B semester. He was expected to contribute as a cornerback and on special teams.
Mullen said at last week’s SEC Media Days that behavior accountability is something the team talks about every day.
“Every day we talk about decision making — how that decision is going to affect you, how it affects your teammates, how does it affect your family, how does it affect our football program?” Mullen said.
“Stick up and look out for each other as a team. That’s a huge thing. If your actions are not helping us achieve those goals, we need to reevaluate your actions.”
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