Tyler Higbee Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Charge: Latest Comments, Reaction
Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault Thursday.
Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reported on Higbee’s legal situation, which stems from an incident and an arrest on April 10, when he was charged with assault, second-degree fleeing or evading police and public intoxication.
The Rams drafted Higbee 110th overall in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft this past week. He missed five games of his final college season at Western Kentucky and the Senior Bowl with a knee injury but still managed to log 38 catches for 563 yards and eight scores in 2015.
Wang indicated in his report that Higbee is expected to report to Los Angeles’ rookie minicamp beginning this weekend.
Higbee pleaded not guilty to the public intoxication and fleeing police charges as well Thursday, indicating he was defending himself and his girlfriend during the incident in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The man whom Higbee allegedly knocked unconscious outside of a Bowling Green bar, Nawaf Alsaleh, was released from a Nashville hospital on April 22 after suffering a brain hemorrhage and concussion.
Per Wang, Higbee will return to court for a status hearing on June 17.
Despite going in the middle of the draft more or less, the 23-year-old was the Rams’ second-highest pick in their 2016 class. That’s because they sacrificed a lot of assets for the rights to the No. 1 overall pick, where they selected California quarterback Jared Goff.
L.A.’s new signal-caller has to be excited about the prospect of throwing to a dynamic pass-catcher such as Higbee—provided his legal issues are resolved. Head coach Jeff Fisher didn’t seem concerned about Higbee’s long-term future in discussing him Saturday.
“He wouldn’t be around had we had concerns he was going to be a problem down the line,” Fisher said, per Wang.
Fisher is known for rolling the dice on players with off-field issues. The Rams’ decision to draft one notable player with such red flags, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, paid off until he fled in free agency this offseason to the New York Giants on a five-year, $62.5 million deal.
The investment in Higbee was minimal enough to protect against any potential legal ramifications down the road. However, L.A. has to be hoping its pick pays off, because Higbee is expected to fill the void left by the underachieving Jared Cook, who was released in February.
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