Penn State kicks three players off football team

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Three Penn State football players charged in connection with a campus fight last fall have been kicked off the team, at least temporarily, a person familiar with the players’ status said Friday.

Defensive tackle Chris Baker and linebacker Navorro Bowman are awaiting trial on felony assault and other charges related to a fight in October at the campus student union.

Cornerback Knowledge Timmons was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and defiant trespass stemming from an incident after the fight.

The three players are no longer with the team, though it’s possible they could return to the squad, said the person familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.

In a statement, the school said: “Three members of the squad have been excused from the team.”

Baker, Bowman and Timmons face pending disciplinary action from the university, with hearings likely within the next few weeks, the school administration said.

Charged by police in November, the players missed the final two games of the season, including the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29, because of their legal trouble.

Baker is also awaiting trial next month on criminal charges in connection with an off-campus fight last April in which authorities said two people were hurt.