JONATHAN HERRMANN, Post Staff Writer
Posted: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 4:35 pm

MTSU defensive linemen Phillip Tinsley and Gary Tucker

Around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 18, officers responded to 285 N. Rutherford Blvd. apartment P107 for an assault call allegedly involving two Middle Tennessee State University football players.

"The first we heard about this was from a reporter and we are still gathering information," MTSU football coach Rick Stockstill said. "We take all these matters very seriously."

MTSU defensive linemen Gary Tucker and Phillip Tinsley allegedly showed up uninvited to a graduation party at the apartment of the complainant, Courtney Cochran, who was throwing the party for a friend.

According to Cochran, the two players attempted to steal the purse of an unknown female and were then asked to leave the apartment. Cochran said one of the males then grabbed and pulled her hair.

Mercedes Mosley and Katelyn Slaughter also told officers they were assaulted by the two men. Mosley stated she was struck in the mouth and Slaughter alleged one of the men shoved her into a wall.

Cochran told police before leaving the players punched two holes in the apartment’s drywall, but was unable to provide any further information regarding the suspects. Officers informed the victims of the warrant process.

“They just started fighting with everybody and it got way out of hand,” said 20-year-old Robert Conti, who was a witness to the event. Conti said the two men initially tried to fight with the boyfriend of the girl whose purse the two allegedly attempted to take before Cochran, Mosley and Slaughter attempted to break up the fight.

Mark Owens, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications at MTSU, could not comment at this time, saying they did not have sufficient information on the reports. “We were not aware of this at all,” Owens said.

No arrests have been made at this time.