The standout running back for Syracuse University appeared in court on Monday in an attempt to reverse a season-long suspension he received for his role in an on-campus altercation in December of last year. Promising to be the school’s next football star, LeQuint Allen sued the university on Monday afternoon after being suspended for the next two semesters—the summer and the fall. Judge Robert Antonacci of the New York State Supreme Court temporarily halted the suspension until a July 19 court hearing, three hours after Allen’s lawsuit was filed.
Allen appealed the suspension with the school after both an informal and formal hearing before taking the matter to court.
“A suspension equates to an expulsion for me,” Allen states in an affidavit.
The lawsuit does not name Allen, referring to him as “John Doe.” Syracuse.com has learned that it is Allen.
The sophomore emerged as the heir to Sean Tucker as the team’s starting running back and capped his freshman season with a strong performance in SU’s bowl game.
Allen’s suspension stems from his involvement in a fight at an apartment building on SU’s South Campus on Dec. 11.
In an affidavit by Allen, he said he punched a man in retaliation after Allen was hit twice in the face. The incident started when Allen was alerted by a teammate who had been injured outside a party at the University Village Apartments.
When Allen and the teammate returned to the party, a man yelled at them and accused them of hitting a woman, records show.
Allen alleged the same man then punched him twice, once on the side of his face and then in the nose, causing it to bleed. Allen then punched him in the face, he says in the lawsuit.
Sgt. Thomas Blake, a Syracuse police spokesperson, said Allen was charged with third-degree assault after the man picked Allen out from a photo lineup.
He was issued an appearance ticket in March, Blake said.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick confirmed Allen was charged with the misdemeanor assault and the case was settled with an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal — meaning that the case was sealed and will be removed from his record if he stays out of trouble for six months.
Fitzpatrick said there were significant issues with the prosecution, including a weak identification by the victim in the case.
Melissa Swartz, Allen’s attorney, would not comment on the lawsuit. A Syracuse University spokeswoman also declined to comment.
Two weeks after the fight, Allen solidified himself as a rising star for the football team filling in for record-setting tailback Sean Tucker. Allen rushed for 94 yards and logged 11 catches for 60 more yards in the team’s Pinstripe Bowl loss at Yankee Stadium.
