Two Central Methodist football players are in jail, and four others have been suspended from the team pending an investigation into alleged in-team fighting that left one player with a potential concussion. Michael Hourel, Jr., 22, of Andalusia, Ala., and Kamarrion Ferguson, 20, of Pine Bluff, Ark., were both arrested and held in the Howard County Jail, each on a $10,000 cash-only bond, facing one charge of third-degree assault, a Class E felony.

Ferguson bonded out of jail on Wednesday afternoon after his bond was lowered by Judge Mason Gebhardt. Hourel, Jr., remains in custody, his bond unchanged.

The university declined to identify the other four players who have been suspended. Hourel, Jr., and Fergusson are no longer listed on the team’s roster.

Hourel, Jr., a 6-foot, 227-pound senior linebacker, and Ferguson, a 6’1, 163-pound junior defensive back, were taken into custody on the afternoon of Monday, October 12.

According to a probable cause statement, Fayette police officer Brandon Abbott was called to the university at 2:01 p.m. Monday, October 12, for a reported assault. The victim claimed he was ordered to fight another player based on an unwritten team rule requiring any player who reports to practice late to fight a teammate. He told police that around 7:30 on Friday morning, October 9, he was in the locker room for a mutual fight with a teammate. The two only wanted to exchange “body shots.” He said Hourel, Jr., then said, “Nah, f**k that,” and struck him in the face. The victim claimed he fought back in self-defense and that others, including Ferguson, began hitting him.

According to the statement, Ferguson told police the fighting rule was made by Hourel, Jr.

Hourel, Jr., didn’t deny he made the rule. According to the statement, Hourel, Jr., told Officer Abbott he was the captain of the football team and that defensive players had complained about teammates not being held accountable for being late to walk-throughs and practices. He said he held a meeting and that the team, including the victim, agreed that players who broke the rule would fight. He said the victim was late to practice on October 9 and chose a wide receiver—identified only as Witness1 in the probable cause statement—to fight.

Hourel, Jr., did not believe that fight would teach the victim a lesson and said he fought the victim himself. He claimed that he only hit the victim with open hands in the face and that others joined the fight, according to the statement.

The following day, the victim went to an urgent care clinic in Columbia for injuries sustained in the fight and was referred to a concussion specialist because of the possibility of a brain bleed.

Central Methodist president Roger Drake told the Advertiser on Wednesday that the victim is scheduled for concussion tests and is currently at home, where he will continue with his studies online.

Dr. Drake stated emphatically that he does not believe head football coach Dave Brown knew about the fighting rule. Brown is still listed as head coach alongside the other members of his coaching staff.

Brown declined to comment on the matter during a telephone call with this newspaper on Wednesday morning, referring the Advertiser to the university’s communications office. He is currently in his fourth year with the Eagles, having been hired the season after another team incident in which one player shot and killed another in an off-campus house. A charge of first-degree murder was later dropped in that matter.

In a statement, the university called the unwritten rule an “informal accountability arrangement among a small group of players, rather than an official team rule.”

An investigation will establish how it originated and who knew about it, the statement read.

The statement said the fighting is inconsistent with Central’s mission as a Methodist institution. Dr. Drake called it one of the “darkest days” in his 13 years as president of the university and said his concerns lie with the victim.

“The safety and well-being of this student is our highest priority. This behavior is unacceptable and inconsistent with our United Methodist heritage and a campus culture grounded in respect and care for others. Identified participants in the incident have been suspended from the football program indefinitely,” the statement read.

The football team is currently 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the Heart South Division. The Eagles are scheduled to play at 1 p.m. Saturday at Missouri Valley College in Marshall.

Hourel, Jr., and Ferguson were arraigned on Wednesday morning in front of Judge Mason Gebhardt in Howard Court. The bond for Ferguson was lowered from $10,000 cash-only to $5,000 cash, with 10 percent cash or a surety bond authorized. He posted bond Wednesday afternoon and was released. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27.

Hourel Jr. remains in jail. The court denied a request to lower the $10,000 cash-only bond. A bond-review hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 22.

President Drake said the alleged actions of these students are not condoned by the university, and Central will not be providing legal support.