As expected, a federal indictment has been handed down to Ole Miss football signee Jamar Hornsby for an aggravated assault.

You know the backstory by now — Hornsby was dismissed from Florida’s team after off-the-field incidents (including using a dead girl’s credit card), he signed with Ole Miss after a year at a junior college, then was arrested in March for allegedly beating a man with a set of brass knuckles and stealing six dollars from his pocket.

The brass knuckles were a part of the initial police report, but they were not mentioned in the federal indictment.

“As we’ve said all along, there were never any brass knuckles involved,” said Hornsby’s attorney, Steve Farese.

The fact that the brass knuckles were not mentioned in the new indictment “semi-vindicates us as far as this was just a fight.”

I’m guessing prosecuting attorneys won’t see it that way, but hey, Farese is speaking on behalf of his client so we can expect some positive spin.

Houston Nutt has refused to take any action with Hornsby (other than holding him out of practice) until the court system wraps up his case.  We’ll see if today’s federal indictment forces Nutt to act further. 

Or maybe he, too, feels this federal indictment is a “semi-vindication” of Hornsby.

The attorney for oft-troubled defensive back Jamar Hornsby expects his client to be indicted on federal assault and larceny charges on Friday.  You might remember that Hornsby was arrested in March for allegedly beating a man with brass knuckles and stealing six bucks from his pocket.  This after he had already blown his chance at Florida by using a dead girl’s credit card.

The truly disappointing thing in all of this is that Houston Nutt did not immediately cut ties with Hornsby after the assault arrest.  The man was already on his second (third, fourth) chance and beat someone with brass knuckles.  That should have been Game Over.

Instead, Nutt said he would decide Hornsby’s fate once his legal troubles were put to bed.  Now it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen for a while.

Perhaps Nutt will finally decide on Friday that a man indicted on federal assault charges probably shouldn’t be a representative of the Ole Miss football program.  We’ll see.

In indicted and convicted, Hornsby could face 20 years in prison.

Hornsby’s attorney denies that brass knuckles were used in the attack. 

University of Florida police have arrested UF linebacker Dustin Doe — again — for — again — driving with a suspended license.

Urban Meyer has suspended Doe from the team indefinitely… presumably for being an idiot.

In late June Doe was charged for “knowingly driving with a suspended license.”  Prior to that he had received two traffic tickets for “unknowingly” driving with a suspended license.

How does someone get popped four times for driving on a suspended license?

For the record, Doe started all 12 games last year.  And his latest brush with the law now counts as the 25th arrest of a Gator player during Meyer’s four year tenure.

So you’re first-year Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen.  You’ve got one real weapon on offense.  He’s a senior.  And he just got arrested last night.

Not exactly the news that Mullen wanted to hear heading into his Wednesday presser at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama.

The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports that Mullen is aware of the charges and is gathering information before handing out a punishment.  But no one is officially saying what MSU’s workhorse tailback has been charged with.

Unofficially, the speculation centers on a DUI.  We shall see.

Dixon was chosen last week as a second-team All-SEC running back by the league’s coaches.

Our first post of the day and we’ve got two stars beside this item… one, because it’s the first arrest of a Vandy player (that I can recall) since we started this site and two, because it involves someone named “Cabbagestalk.”

Incoming freshman lineman Justin Cabbagestalk was arrested Tuesday night and charged with felony burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

The arrest took place in his homestate of Florida, in Tampa.  A police spokesperson said “It appears as though nothing was taken.”

Sounds more like a breaking and entering charge than a burglary charge to me, but I’m no lawyer.

No word yet from Vandy coach Bobby Johnson.

Florida’s State Attorney’s office offered Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins a deferred prosecution for resisting arrest during a fight in May… and Jenkins has taken it.

Jenkins will receive six months of probation, have to pay about $200 in costs, and will have to do 15 hours of community service.

You might recall that Jenkins was arrested and tasered when he refused to back down in a fight with five other people.  He was charged with resisting arrest and “affray.”  The affray charge was dropped as part of the deferred prosecution agreement.

If Jenkins minds his p’s and q’s, he’ll face no further charges for the incident.

Jenkins attorney had this to say of the agreement: “The truth is, I feel as though he didn’t really do anything wrong here.  I don’t want to get into a big contest with (the Gainesville Police Department).  Let’s just say this is a compromise as far as I’m concerned.  This is being inside the 20-yard line and settling for three.”

Four players arrested — one of them twice — is enough for Bobby Petrino.  Arkansas’ head coach dismissed reserve linebacker Khiry Battle from the Razorback team yesterday.

Battle was arrested early Sunday for a DUI and two other charges.  He was arrested in May for failing to appear in court over yet another previous charge.

“Khiry has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules,” Petrino said in a UA release.  “Being a member of the Razorback football program requires responsible actions on and off the field.”

Arkansas linebacker Khiry Battle was arrested early Sunday and charged with a DUI.  Battle — who is 20 — was also cited for refusing to take a Breathalyzer test and for violating Fayetteville’s noise ordinances.

This is Battle’s second arrest since May.  His last arrest came for failing to appear in court on a previous charge.

Battle joins defensive tackle Lavunce Askew (theft of property), quarterback Ryan Mallett (public intoxication) and linebacker Ryan Powers (shoplifting) as the fourth UA footballer to be arrested in 2009.

No word yet from Bobby Petrino.

Walk-on punter Eric Davis has paid a traffic fine over an April accident that sent a Columbia parking enforcement official to the hospital with a knee injury.

Davis’ failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk landed him a $236 fine.

Not surprisingly, the 48-year-old he hit wants Davis to help pay for the arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent earlier this month.

Incoming freshman defensive back Dennis Thames probably isn’t off to the start that Dan Mullen had hoped.  The future Bulldog (or is he?) was arrested on May 30th and charged with “public intoxication — other substance.”

“Other substance?”  I could be wrong, but I’m guessing this might have had something to do with the green, green grass of home.

At any rate, MSU officials say they’re “looking into the matter.”