North Dakota State LB charged with assault

North Dakota State University suspended star linebacker Travis Beck from the team indefinitely after allegedly hitting a man until he was unconscious in a weekend altercation in Fargo.

Beck was suspended from the two-time defending Division I championship team Monday after he was charged with aggravated assault, head coach Craig Bohl said in a statement. Fargo Deputy Police Chief Pat Claus said police responded early Saturday after Beck allegedly struck a 24-year-old man.

Claus said Beck fled the scene after an officer who responded to the scene detained him and was checking on the victim. Beck was apprehended later and brought back, Claus said. Beck is also charged with resisting an officer, a misdemeanor.

The victim, whose name hasn't been released, was taken to a hospital. His condition isn't known, Claus said.

It's unclear if alcohol played a role in the altercation.

Bohl said that in addition to being suspended from team activities, Beck will go through the university judicial process as a student. "Bison football has a zero tolerance for acts of violence," Bohl said.

This isn't the first time Beck has had a run-in with the law while at North Dakota State. He was fined and sentenced to 40 hours of community service after pleading guilty to underage drinking. A charge of resisting a police officer was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Beck was named the most valuable player in the 2011 Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game. It was the first of NDSU's back-to-back national titles.

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