Central Michigan football player Brian Edwards arraigned on felony, misdemeanor charges
Brian Edwards (Photo: Isabella Country Jail records)
Central Michigan football player Brian Edwards was arraigned on two charges Tuesday following his arrest Monday night.
Edwards was arraigned on the charges of resisting and obstructing, as well as disturbing the peace, according to Lt. Cameron Wassman of CMUPD. Resisting and obstructing is a felony charge while disturbing the peace is a misdemeanor.
An $8,000 personal bond was posted, which states Edwards will appear at future court dates. He does not have to post bail but will be forced to forfeit the bond amount if he breaks his promise to appear in court.
Edwards is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 5 for a probable cause conference, which is held in felony cases after arraignment but before a preliminary examination, Wassman said.
He was arrested and taken into custody by a CMUPD officer and lodged in the Isabella County Jail at 7:05 p.m. on Monday. He was released from jail Tuesday afternoon on a personal bond, promising to return to court when required.
The defensive back on the football team was initially arrested after an on-campus altercation with university police.
Wassman said university police responded to Edwards "behaving erratically and threatening to harm himself." As officers made contact, he fled on foot.
Edwards was chased by officers and eventually located in the East Complex residential restaurant, also known as Fresh Food Company. He "repeatedly resisted" attempts to comply, and a physical confrontation broke out.
One CMUPD officer was treated for minor injuries from the physical altercation with Edwards. The officer was the only person injured.
The investigation is still ongoing, Wassman said.
CMU Athletics has yet to comment on Edwards' status going forward, but Athletic Director Michael Alford released a statement to the student newspaper.
"We are aware of an incident on campus this evening, but it is an ongoing investigation with the CMU Police Department and we cannot comment any further," Alford said.
Director of Operations Ben Presnell called a mandatory football team meeting at 8 p.m. Monday for all players to attend even though practice already ended that day around 5:30 p.m.
Edwards came to Central Michigan from the University of Florida, where he was recruited to play for the Gators by Jim McElwain, who was the head coach there from 2015-17.
McElwain is in his first year as the head coach for the Chippewas and brought Edwards to Mount Pleasant before the start of fall practice in August.
"First and foremost, I obviously recruited Brian. He's a wonderful kid," McElwain said to Central Michigan Life in August. "I love his mom. One thing I always tell every one of the kids I recruit is, 'I'm here for you, and I'll do everything I can to help you.'"
Before joining Central Michigan, Edwards was arrested for first-degree misdemeanor battery of his girlfriend on May 6, 2019. He spent time at the Alachua County Jail in Gainesville, Florida, but the charges were later dropped.
In that case, Edwards' girlfriend told investigators a criminal act did not occur and she did not want to prosecute him, according to Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel. A Gainesville Police report stated Edwards' girlfriend had marks on her neck and a scratch on her shoulder upon the officer's arrival to the scene. The witness who called the police also gave inconsistent statements to investigators that were not supported by other evidence.
Edwards played in 18 games for Florida throughout two seasons, of which one was in 2017 for McElwain. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound defensive back spent time on defense and special teams.
He has been forced to sit out the 2019 season with the Chippewas due to NCAA transfer rules.
