UW-Madison freshman wide receiver Ernest Mason was arrested Thursday after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. This marks the second arrest for Mason, who currently faces charges for a similar incident in December 2003 involving the same woman.
Following his arrest, Mason was suspended from the UW-Madison football team for the second time, in violation of the Student-Athlete Discipline Policy.
According to the criminal complaint, Mason and the woman began arguing Thursday after she discovered a text message on his cell phone from an ex-girlfriend. The argument escalated after Mason allegedly tried to prevent the woman from leaving his apartment by taking her laptop and bag.
According to the criminal complaint, when the woman tried to flee and exited the apartment building, Mason allegedly pushed the woman against a utility pole and held her there by her throat, grinding a knuckle into the woman's Adam's apple.
When the woman asked two passers-by if she could use one of their cell phones to call 911, according to the criminal complaint, Mason allegedly pleaded with her to not call.
\Don't call, don't call,"" the complaint states Mason said. ""I don't need trouble right now. I'm a fuckin' football player.""
Mason then allegedly took the passer-by's phone out of the woman's hand and hung it up, according to the complaint, and attempted to push the woman back into the apartment building.
As the woman struggled to escape, she allegedly tripped, fell and hit her head on the concrete. The police arrived soon thereafter and arrested Mason.
Mason was suspended from the UW-Madison football team and is not allowed to practice or compete.
According to UW-Madison Associate Athletic Director Steve Malchow, Mason has not yet appealed the suspension.
The Discipline Policy does not have specific protocol for dealing with repeat offenders, Malchow said, but the incidents will likely be looked at independent of each other.
""We haven't ever been through this incident before,"" he said.
-Emily Winter contributed to this report.
