A SUNY Cortland lacrosse player — a team captain — was removed from the team roster Wednesday, although a teammate played, three days after they were accused of beating a man, breaking his jaw.
Two SUNY Cortland men's lacrosse players, Austin Michael Palmer and Zachary A. Middel-Jones, both 23, were charged Sunday with second-degree gang assault, a felony, after a street fight ended with a broken jaw for one victim.
Nikolas M. Jones-Middel was also charged in the incident.
All three were free on bail.
"Our hearts are with the victims of this incident, and we wish them both a quick and complete recovery," SUNY Cortland Director of Communications Frederic Pierce said in a release. "The charges brought against the alleged attackers are very serious and will be thoroughly investigated by the university as well as local police. SUNY Cortland, however, cannot discuss potential disciplinary action due to students' privacy rights."
All three men were charged with second-degree gang assault, a felony; third-degree assault, a misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, a violation. Cortland Police said the three coordinated their efforts in an altercation about 3:45 a.m. Sunday with three 20-year-old men outside 7 Tompkins St., Cortland. During the fight, one person’s jaw was broken after being repeatedly struck in the face.
Palmer is a junior midfielder; Middel-Jones is a fifth-year midfielder and was listed as a captain on the college's website, although as of Wednesday evening, he was no longer listed on the roster.
Palmer is in his first season at Cortland after transfering from Genesee Community College, where he was a Second-Team All-American as a sophomore. Palmer scored seven goals and had one assist this season.
Middel-Jones scored 28 goals and had six assists this season. The Oakdale native started his college career at Stony Brook before transfering to Cortland before the 2020 season.
Palmer played Wednesday in the Red Dragons' SUNYAC Tournament semifinal game, scoring two goals and adding two assists in the team's 19-13 win over SUNY Oneonta.
