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Charge dropped against Kansas’ Carlton Bragg, woman charged

Connecticut v Kansas

DES MOINES, IA - MARCH 19: Carlton Bragg Jr. #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts after scoring in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 19, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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The Douglas County district attorney’s office on Wednesday dropped the battery charges against Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr. stemming from an altercation with his girlfriend on Friday.

The woman that was the alleged victim in that case, 19-year old Saleeha Soofi, had a battery charge filed against her.

Bragg had been suspended indefinitely by Kansas, missing a win over the weekend against Nebraska, but was reinstated Wednesday, according to a statement released by Kansas coach Bill Self.

“As we have said since this incident occurred, it was important for us to take this issue seriously and to allow the process to play out,” Self said in the statement. “We appreciate the authorities handling this issue in a timely manner. Now that they have made their decision, Carlton is no longer suspended from competition.

“I’m proud of the way Carlton has handled this situation, considering all the negative publicity he has received both locally and nationally. He knew all the facts and knew that he needed to refrain from comment while the investigation took place.

“We are glad this situation is resolved.”

According to a release from the prosecutor’s office, a surveillance video was obtained that showed the two arguing near a stairwell. In the video, Soofi can be seen “shoving and slapping [Bragg]in the chest numerous times and placing her hands near the neck of [Bragg] on at least two occasions.” Bragg’s reaction, according to the release was to “forcefully shove her away from him causing [Soofi] to fall backwards up the ascending stairs behind her.”

Bragg is a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward averaging 7.8 points and 5.3 boards in 16 minutes this season.

“This has been a difficult and humiliating experience for me,” Bragg said in a statement, “and I’m glad it’s over. I appreciate the authorities taking the time to get this right. I also appreciate the support of my teammates and coaches, and I’m glad I can put this behind me and move forward.”