Florida State running back Dalvin Cook was found not guilty Monday of punching a woman in the face outside a Tallahassee, Fla., bar in June after she engaged in a shouting match with him and his teammates.
It took the seven-member jury only about 20 minutes to deliver its verdict after a one-day trial that included the testimony of the alleged victim, Madison Geohegan, one of her friends and several of Cook's teammates. Cook had been charged with misdemeanor battery.
Florida State indefinitely suspended Cook after he was charged in the June 23 incident, but the school immediately reinstated him following the verdict.
"I'm just thankful and blessed that the truth came out," Cook said. "It's time to go to work — back to the field. I've been working, but now it's time to get at it."
Cook's attorneys pushed for the trial to start before Florida State's season begins Sept. 5 vs. Texas State. They called one witness, a graduate student who testified that he watched a group of players argue with Geohegan and her friend, but that none of the players hit her.
Cook, 20, led Florida State last year with 1,008 rushing yards as a freshman. He was second on the team with eight TDs.
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• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops named Baker Mayfield his starting quarterback over last year's starter, Trevor Knight. Mayfield sat out last season after transferring from Texas Tech. As a freshman walk-on at Tech in 2013, he passed for 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games and was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
• Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin picked Kyle Allen to start at quarterback in the Sept. 5 opener against No. 15 Arizona State. Allen, a sophomore, was competing against heralded freshman Kyler Murray for the starting job.
