Marshall running back Steward Butler was arrested on charges of two counts of battery on April 5th. Butler allegedly attacked the two gay men after he saw them kissing in an intersection in Huntington, W.V. Butler saw the couple share a kiss, left his vehicle, shouted racial slurs at them, and proceeded to punch both of them in the face.
One of the victims captured the incident on video and submitted it as evidence. More evidence was submitted to help determine whether or not any of the couple’s civil rights were violated. Butler turned himself into police on Wednesday morning and was released on a $10,000 bail the same day.
Marshall athletic director announced Butler’s dismissal from the football team via Twitter on Wednesday. According to a report, however, team officials knew of the allegations before Wednesday’s arrest:
Coach Holliday and I have decided to dismiss Steward Butler from our program in light of additional information regarding his charges.
— Mike Hamrick (@MikeHamrick92) May 6, 2015
The executive director of Fairness West Virginia, a civil rights advocacy organization working for fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual individuals in the state, released a statement following the incident:
Hate-based violence fosters anxiety and mistrust and ultimately brings fear to whole neighborhoods, communities and towns. There is no place for violence or intolerance in any community in West Virginia.
[Source: New York Daily News]
