UNC reinstates suspended player after dismissal of charges

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) North Carolina has reinstated suspended football player Allen Artis after misdemeanor charges against him for sexual battery and assault on a female student were dismissed.

Athletic director Bubba Cunningham announced the decision in a statement Thursday.

Artis was indefinitely suspended from the team last fall following his arrest tied to a February 2016 encounter. Artis had said the two had consensual sex and denied wrongdoing.

His attorneys also said UNC determined Artis didn't violate campus policy in his contact with the student, while a misconduct decision could have led to expulsion.

Orange County district attorney Jim Woodall dismissed the misdemeanor charges last week because ''the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of the parties.''

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Artis, a senior reserve linebacker from Marietta, Georgia, played in two games before last season's suspension.

Kerry Sutton, one of Artis' attorneys in the criminal case, said they have conferred with UNC's compliance office to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility ''since he lost the season due to no fault of his own.''

''Allen has been looked forward to his reinstatement for a long time,'' Sutton said in her statement to The Associated Press on Thursday afternoon. ''He has really missed being with his teammates and coaches and hopes to contribute to the team's success this season.''

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