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Kansas Basketball Player Charged with Battery After Allegedly Pushing Girlfriend Down Stairs [UPDATE]

Carlton Bragg has pled not guilty to the misdemeanor battery charge and is out on bond. Kansas coach Bill Self said, "We are still trying to gather information. But it is a charge which we take very seriously."
Douglas County Sheriff's Office

University of Kansas sophomore basketball player Carlton Bragg Jr. was charged with misdemeanor battery today after allegedly hitting his girlfriend and pushing her down stairs during an argument, according to the Kansas City Star.

Bragg, 20, was released from jail today after bond was set at $500 and he pled not guilty. Bragg was arrested under suspicion of domestic battery after his girlfriend called 911, but the charges were amended when filed to misdemeanor battery. The rationale behind the decision, according to the Douglas County District Attorney's Office, was that his girlfriend is not a "family or household member"—the basis for Kansas domestic violence laws.

The Star spoke with Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, who said, "We are still trying to gather information. But it is a charge which we take very seriously."

Update December 14: Authorities in Kansas announced that they have dismissed the battery charge against Carlton Bragg, Jr. after reviewing surveillance video.

That video showed that before a man "forcefully" shoved a woman away from him and caused her to fall backward into an ascending staircase, the woman shoved, slapped and struck the man and put her hands around his neck.

In addition to dismissing the charge against Bragg, authorities have now charged his girlfriend, Saleeha Soofi, with one count of battery.