NAIA school suspends 6 players following alleged locker room assault as part of an 'accountability arrangement' for players being late to practice
· Yahoo Sports
Two players at NAIA school Central Methodist have been suspended after their arrest on third-degree assault charges for their role in an alleged fight club among players on the football team.
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The school has suspended six players in total after a player was allegedly forced to go to urgent care after he was late for practice and was allegedly assaulted by teammates Kamarrion Ferguson and Michael Hourel on Oct. 9.
According to the probable cause statement, the alleged victim told an officer from the Fayette, Missouri, Police Department that the team had a rule in place that a player who was late for practice had to fight a teammate as punishment.
“[Victim] continued by telling me on Friday, October 9, 2026, at approximately 0730 hours he was in the locker room to engage in a mutual fight with fellow football player for being late,” the statement said. “The fellow football player, identified as Witness1 did not want to engage in the fight other than do ‘body shots.’ [Victim] explained that an individual identified as Michael Hourel stated ‘nah, f*** that’ and struck [Victim] in the face. [Victim explained that he fought back in self-defense.”
According to the statement, others joined in and Ferguson was identified as another alleged assailant. When confronted by police about the incident, Hourel allegedly admitted to taking part in the incident but that he had only hit his teammate with an open hand before others joined in.
The victim told police that he went to urgent care the following day and had been referred to a concussion specialist “due to the possibility of a brain bleed.”
“Hourel began to tell me that he was the captain of the football team and the defensive players for the team had issues with not being held accountable for being late to walk through and practices,” the statement said. “Hourel had a meeting with the team, and the team including [Victim] agreed to fight if the rule was not followed. Hourel further explained [Victim’ failed to show up on time on October 9, 2026. Hourel mentioned that in the locker room [Victim] had chosen a wide receiver identified as Witness1 to fight. Hourel did not feel that the fight with Witness1 was going to teach [Victim] a lesson, so Hourel fought [Victim].”
The four other players who have been suspended from the team but not charged with a crime have not been named by the school, and a university investigation is underway.
“The safety and well-being of this student is our highest priority,” the school said in a statement about the player who was allegedly assaulted. “This behavior is unacceptable and inconsistent with our United Methodist heritage and a campus culture grounded in respect and care for others. Identified participants in the incident have been suspended from the football program indefinitely.
“Based on what we currently know, this was an informal ‘accountability’ arrangement among a small group of players, rather than an official team rule. The investigation will establish how it originated and who knew about it.”
As of Thursday afternoon, neither Ferguson or Hourel were listed on the team’s online roster. The Eagles are 2-5 so far in 2026.