Florida State's Karlos Williams Not Charged
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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — The Florida State Seminoles can cross one of the team's off-the-field distractions off their list.
Tallahassee police says Florida State running back Karlos Williams is not being charged after a domestic battery investigation.
The police released the incident report Wednesday detailing the investigation, which ended because "without a statement or additional evidence there is no way to further this case."
Police spokesman David Northway explained the department will no longer actively investigate the incident, but that could change if new evidence is found or a witness comes forward.
Florida State general counsel Carolyn Egan contacted Tallahassee police after she saw social media posts from the woman.
Both Williams and the woman declined to speak with police and the lawyer for the woman filed an affidavit that asked police to end the investigation.
Williams, a senior, was never arrested and did not miss any playing time.
Williams said Tuesday that he's focused on school and football.
"I try to focus on those things ... things I can control, which is school and football and just try to move on, try to move forward and progress in life," Williams said. "Things are going to happen and I've learned with the punches and just have to keep moving forward."
Williams' lawyer, Tim Jansen, says this was the expected outcome.
"When you have no evidence, you don't have a case," Jansen said. "You don't have complainant. You don't have a victim. You have someone, who we don't know who, posts something — you don't know when it was done, who did it, how it was put up there. That's not a case."
Williams leads the team with 520 rushing yards and is expected to start against Miami on Saturday.
Florida State would not confirm if it would initiate its own investigation of Williams, citing privacy policies, but university spokeswoman Browning Brooks recently told The Associated Press that "while each set of facts and circumstances is different, as a general matter, notice of any Title IX-related issues would prompt an investigation."
Federal policy dictates that universities must investigate possible Title IX violations if they are aware.
An investigation by the university would be the latest involving a Florida State football player. Quarterback Jameis Winston is facing a university hearing to determine whether four sections of the code of conduct have been violated — two for sexual misconduct and two for endangerment.
"There is enhanced scrutiny on any FSU athlete at this time, in this climate," said Jansen, who also represented Winston during his police investigation. "No one's above the law. No one's below the law. While athletes are not allowed to get other benefits that other students aren't, they shouldn't be held to a higher standard from the legal system.
"Now if you're talking from the university system, being that they're a representative, that's a different story," he said. "But legally ... they should not be held to a higher standard."
Florida State also is currently being investigated by the Department of Education on how it handles possible Title IX violations. The woman who said Winston assaulted her filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, which decided the university should be investigated for possible Title IX violations over the way it responds to sexual violence complaints.
Title IX is a federal statute that bans discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. The Department of Education in 2011 warned schools of their legal responsibilities to immediately investigate allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence, even if the criminal investigation has not concluded.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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