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Iowa State Dismisses Football Player Accused of Rape, Breaking Woman’s Back, per Report

Iowa State dismissed linebacker Aidan Ralph from the program on Thursday following his arrest earlier this week for a domestic violence incident that took place in December, according to multiple reports.

The program moved on from Ralph, a 20-year-old redshirt sophomore, as he faces charges of domestic abuse and third-degree sexual assault, per Story County court documents obtained by The New York Post. Ralph has been described as causing a stress fracture to his girlfriend’s spine after pushing her into a stairwell and raping her inside his Ames, Iowa, apartment on Dec. 3.

Ralph’s dismissal from the team followed his Tuesday arrest in Ames. He remained in custody at the Story County Jail in Nevada, Iowa, until posting his $11,000 bail the following day, per The Athletic. If convicted, Ralph could face up to 12 years in prison.

In addition to the charges, which were reportedly filed Wednesday in Story County, Ralph still remains under a noncontact order that was issued following the incident, according to The Athletic.

According to the criminal complaint, the assault occurred after Ralph and his girlfriend got into an argument after she arrived at his residence upon his request around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 3. From there, Ralph assaulted her as she checked her injuries and ignored her requests for medical attention.

Ralph, who did not play at Iowa State during his two seasons, is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing May 15.