Former Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley enters the biggest week of his life as a player facing a misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly striking a woman in the face earlier this month.
It did not appear Brantley would be charged in the April 13 incident, but a sworn complaint was filled Friday with the Gainesville Police Department against the 22-year-old.
On Thursday, the NFL draft begins and Brantley is expected to be a second- or third-round pick a season after he was one of the top players on the Gators' defense.
According to the Alachua County Court record, two witnesses claim Brantley punched the accuser in the face, knocking her unconscious. Brantley told police at the time the woman, who is 5-foot-6, 120 pounds, had been the aggressor and struck him. This led the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Brantley to push the woman away from him.
The complaint states the woman did shove Brantley after he made "crude comments" to her. But he then allegedly punched her in the face and caused her to lose a tooth that will require a root canal to repair.
Both Brantley and the woman did not look to press charges at the time of the incident.
Patrick Pinak of the Independent Daily Alligator reported the accuser's change of heart and the filing of the sworn complaint.
