Both Wiley and his girlfriend were reportedly arrested on Monday afternoon.
Daniel Paulling of The Clarion-Ledger has confirmed a report by Rivals.com’s Neal McCready that Ole Miss freshman defensive end Charles Wiley was arrested on Monday afternoon and charged with domestic violence. Ben Garrett of Scout.com adds that Wiley’s girlfriend was also arrested.
Wiley, a four-star prospect out of Stockbridge, Ga., is an exceptional athlete whose 4.62 40-yard dash speed figures to make him a dangerous weak-side edge rusher — perhaps as an eventual replacement for Marquis Haynes, who could be a high draft pick in 2017. Wiley’s immediate role on a currently-stacked D-line is less prominent — we project him as a third-stringer and a possible redshirt candidate.
But with starting strong-side end Fadol Brown still wearing a boot as he struggles to heal up from a stress fracture, the Rebel defense does have a potential depth shortage in the early going. Any discipline for Wiley that includes missed game time — be it a suspension or kicked off the team entirely — would mean one less body to rotate in.
I’ll avoid speculating on any potential punishment until the facts come out, but given recent events concerning SEC athletes involved with domestic violence — most notably Mississippi State’s baffling decision to suspend five-star freshman Jeffrey Simmons for just one game despite video of him pummeling a prone woman — investigating this incident will undoubtedly be taken very seriously by the Ole Miss athletic department.