Central Michigan's Fountain acquitted of assault charges

Central Michigan linebacker Malik Fountain was found not guilty Thursday on four misdemeanor assault charges in an Isabella County courthouse, reports Susan Field of The Morning Sun News.

Fountain was accused of punching two women at the Wayside Bar on Dec. 2. The sophomore was arrested in April and charged with two counts of assault, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of jostling.

"I'm not the person they claimed I was," Fountain said with his family outside the courthouse after the verdict was read. "There's no way I would do something like this."

Jurors hugged Fountain and his family after leaving the courthouse.

Fountain was suspended indefinitely from the Central Michigan football program upon his arrest and, despite his acquittal, has yet to be reinstated.

Fountain is immediately eligible to resume his career with the Chippewas, according to the CMU student handbook. Associate athletic director Rob Wyman has stated that CMU Athletics officials "continue to evaluate the situation."