Brian Edwards name has been cleared.
Misdemeanor battery charges have been dropped due to insufficient evidence, according to Alachua County court records.
On May 6 police responded to an alleged dispute called in by a witness. Edwards allegedly forcefully held his girlfriend against her will in an apartment by grabbing her by the neck.
The State Attorney’s office decided not to pursue charges when Edwards’ girlfriend told investigators a criminal act did not occur. Furthermore the witness that called in the initial dispute gave inconsistent statements to investigators, according to Cervone.
Edwards issued a plea of not guilty prior to the State Attorney’s office decision on Friday.
Edwards has played in 18 games during his career, mostly on special teams. Freshman Chris Steele took reps away from Edwards in the spring but has since transferred to USC. Edwards has been removed from team activities since May as the investigation took place. There may be additional in-house punishment from Dan Mullen who said he wanted to “gather all the facts” before making a decision when asked about it earlier in the summer.
With the battery charges dismissed, however, Edwards will be allowed to get back with the team as they continue working out with Nick Savage and prepare for the start of fall camp.