Oregon Ducks junior linebacker Eddie Heard was suspended indefinitely by the team Thursday after University of Oregon police arrested him Wednesday.
According to Andrew Greif of the Oregonian, Heard was arrested on misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree assault and harassment and will be arraigned Thursday.
Emerald Sports shared his mugshot:
Eddie Heard has been "suspended indefinitely" following his arrest last night for harassment and assault 4 https://t.co/jxkDzJHywB pic.twitter.com/eFDubFuT8t
— Emerald Sports (@ODEsports) November 3, 2016
Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said Wednesday the program will “take appropriate action as details develop.”
On Thursday, Greif shared details of Heard’s arrest:
According to a summary of the case provided by UO police, Heard was arrested one day after a woman reported that early on Oct. 30, hours after Oregon’s 54-35 home win against Arizona State, Heard had “repeatedly touched her” inside Taylor’s Bar and Grill.
The woman told police that after she protested loudly, Heard slapped her and she pushed him back before leaving the bar between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Outside the bar, near the corner of East 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street, the woman told police that Heard approached before punching her in the face. Police interviewed “multiple witnesses,” including Heard, before arresting him before 6 p.m. Wednesday.
After registering just five tackles in limited action as a sophomore last season, Heard has yet to produce a stat line in 2016 despite appearing in all eight games.
The 22-year-old Oakland, California, native is in his second year at Oregon after transferring from Laney College.
Heard seems unlikely to play for the 3-5 Ducks when they take on the Southern California Trojans on Saturday.
Oregon had lost five consecutive games before beating Arizona State last week, and while Heard’s absence isn’t likely to make a huge impact, it will further thin out a defense that has struggled in 2016.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
