2 Rutgers Football Players Suspended After Paintball Incident

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Two players on the Rutgers football team have been suspended after campus police said they fired paintballs at other people out of a car.

The players are Chris Long and Malachi Melton, both cornerbacks on the Rutgers football team.

"I was informed that Chris Long and Malachi Melton were taken into police custody early this morning as a result of an incident involving a paintball gun. Both players have been suspended immediately," said Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano.

At 10:00 p.m. Monday, Rutgers campus police responded to the Livingston campus for the report of three student victims that were struck with paint balls fired from a car, said Rutgers campus Police Chief Kenneth Cop.

The three victims sustained minor injuries and declined further medical attention on scene.

Malachi M. Melton, 19, of Toms River and Christopher M. Long, 19, of Willingboro, NJ, were arrested Tuesday morning and each charged with three counts of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

They were released from police custody and have to appear in Middlesex County Superior Court on November 4 at 8:45 a.m.

Rutgers did not say how long they are suspended for.

The football players' arrest comes after a bombshell NorthJersey.com report revealed that ever since Rutgers entered the Big Ten athletic conference in 2014, the school has been accumulating enormous debt to keep its football program afloat.

To date, Rutgers and other institutions have poured more than $430 million to pay for Rutgers' athletic programs, according to the news report. The money comes from New Jersey taxpayers, students' tuition and fees.

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