McCoy, Hicks suspended by Texas

[December 29, 2012]  (AP) -- Texas has sent home backup quarterback Case McCoy and injured linebacker Jordan Hicks on the eve of the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio for violating team rules, a person with knowledge of the suspensions told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because the school wasn't releasing the names of the suspended players. The person said the players violated curfew.

Coach Mack Brown addressed the situation during a previously schedule news conference Friday and referred to a KENS-TV report (http://tinyurl.com/cw8dcj3) that police were investigating two unidentified Texas players in an alleged sexual assault at a San Antonio hotel.

"This has been reported: We had a couple young men that broke team rules last night. They have been suspended from the team and they will be sent home," Brown said at a previously scheduled news conference in San Antonio. "They will not be available for the game and I will not address any more questions in that matter."

Sgt. Javier Salazar, a San Antonio police spokesman, said only that detectives are in the early stages of investigating a case of alleged sexual assault in the downtown area. Investigators are interviewing witnesses and collecting forensic evidence, he said.

"It's a very meticulous process," Salazar said. "As far as these investigations go, it's very early."

A heavily redacted police report says a 21-year-old woman told police she believed she was assaulted around 2 a.m. Friday after inviting two men to her hotel room. The report shows only that the men are students and that one is 21 and the other is 20. The woman told police that she had had several drinks when she invited the men to her hotel.

The woman said one of the men assaulted her while the other "just stood there and watched," the report said. Police said they observed bruises on the woman's right knee and left bicep.

After talking to police, the woman was taken to a San Antonio hospital, where she was seen by a sexual assault nurse examiner, according to the report. The two suspects also were taken to the hospital and examined by the nurse, the report says.

Ben Turner, acting general manager at the Holiday Inn on San Antonio's Riverwalk, said police were summoned to the hotel between 2 and 3 a.m. Friday to investigate an alleged sexual assault. He said hotel staff was cooperating with police.

McCoy, the brother of former Texas star and current Browns quarterback Colt McCoy, has played eight games this season, including one start. He has thrown for 722 yards and six touchdowns.

Hicks was a starter but hasn't played since the third game of the season because of a hip injury.

Texas (8-4) plays Oregon State (9-3) in Saturday's game at the Alamodome. The Longhorns' walk-through at the stadium Friday afternoon was closed to the media.

[Associated Press; By RALPH D. RUSSO]

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