Liberty suspends defensive standout Chapman
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Liberty senior nose guard Asa Chapman has been suspended indefinitely by the university after he was arrested Friday night on drug charges.
Head football coach Danny Rocco announced Chapman's suspension for a violation of university policies.
The (Lynchburg) News & Advance reported that Chapman was arrested after a traffic stop, charged by police with one count of misdemeanor marijuana possession and one count of felony possession of cocaine. His arraignment hearing in Lynchburg General District Court will be held Sept. 12, the newspaper reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Due to an incident that occurred on Friday night, I find it in the best interest of our program to suspend Asa Chapman indefinitely at this time," Rocco said.
"Asa has a court date set for Sept. 12, at which time we will have a much better understanding of the charges that have been brought up against him. As we begin our season, it is important that our program maintains its focus and continues to prepare for its match-up with N.C. State on Saturday."
The 6-foot-5, 380-pound Chapman is the defensive leader of a Liberty squad that is seeking its fifth straight Big South Conference championship. The two- year starter had a career-high 41 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He was named to The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Preseason All-America second team last month.