While most people are by now aware of the fact that the son of John Mellencamp, who also happens to be a walk-on at Duke, waded into some serious charges earlier this summer, what’s also coming to light is the fact that another walk-on at a different FBS program is feeling the legal heat from the same incident as well.
According to the Bloomington Herald-Times, freshman Indiana walk-on wide receiver Ty Smith was slapped with a felony battery charge related to the July 29 incident. Smith, the son of IU baseball coach Tracy Smith, turned himself in on the charge Thursday evening.
It was at that point head football coach Kevin Wilson became aware of the off-field situation involving one of his players, who also happens to be closely related to one of his Hoosier coaching contemporaries.
“He’s not with us right now, kind of with his family,” Wilson said according to the Herald-Times. “We’ll get the details of what it is. All I know is (what I’ve read.) We’re going to give him time to get everything cleared out and see what it is. Once legally we know what it is and how serious or not serious, we’ll move forward.
“Right now, he’s not with us today. We’ll take a few days and see legally where things fit, get our info with him and then we’ll move forward together and see where it plays out.”
According to reports, Smith and two of the singer’s sons -- Hud, the Blue Devils corner, and his brother Speck -- allegedly “punched, kicked and stomped” a male victim on his porch. That alleged beatdown came shortly after Speck Mellencamp was allegedly hit in the face at that same house earlier in the evening.
Both of the Mellencamps were charged with felony battery as well.
(Photo credit: Indiana athletics)
