UW football wide receiver Byron Brown was arrested early Friday morning at Club Amazon, 624 University Ave., on charges of substantial battery and disorderly conduct after he allegedly struck a bouncer several times in the face.
Chris Stangl, a bouncer at the club who was head of security at the time of the incident, said he was walking through the dance floor attempting to address a problem in the club's rear when he encountered Brown around 1 a.m.
\He was dancing and happened to bump into me as I was going and we hit rather hard,"" Stangl said. ""Basically I said, 'hey, I'm sorry,' just kind of backed up and I went to walk away. He didn't think that was a good thing to happen ... [and] kind of got pissed off. ... I started to walk past him and he punched me.""
Stangl said he then attempted to restrain Brown when three of Brown's friends grabbed Stangl from behind as Brown continued to punch Stangl six to 10 times. The three men holding Stangl also struck him before the club's security staff restrained the men.
Stangl received four stitches on his lower lip stemming from injuries incurred during the incident and also suffered a bloody nose and had swollen tissue on his face.
According to Stangl, there were about 10 bouncers working at the club at the time of the incident, but it took them some time to respond to the altercation between him and Brown due to another problem elsewhere in the club.
Brown was arraigned Friday and released on bond. As terms of his release, Brown is not allowed to be at or around Club Amazon. He also cannot have direct or indirect contact with Stangl.
When contacted Sunday, Brown declined to comment on the incident.
UW-Madison Assistant Athletics Director Steve Malchow said he is aware of the situation, but said the legal system must run its course before any action is taken with regard to Brown's status with the football team.
""I think it's premature right now until his innocence or guilt is determined,"" Malchow said.
This is among approximately half a dozen incidents involving members of the UW football team crossing paths with the law this academic year. Malchow said the department is addressing the prevalence of such incidents.
""I think it's something our coaching staff continues to emphasize with the members of the team ... and continue to work through the incidents one by one and hope that others learn from their mistakes,"" Malchow said.
