Nine felony charges were dropped Thursday against one of five Wheaton College football players accused in an alleged hazing incident.
As part of a plea deal, 21-year-old Noah Spielman, son of former NFL linebacker Chris Spielman, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge "for his role in" the hazing scandal, but the DuPage County State's Attorney's office agreed to dismiss all felony counts against him.
Spielman's attorney Mark Sutter cited Spielman's lack of criminal history and acceptance of his role in the alleged incident, but emphasized that the plea deal "should not be considered in evaluating the guilt or innocence of the remaining defendants."
Spielman, of Columbus, Ohio, had initially pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated battery, mob action and unlawful restraint in connection with a hazing incident that occurred in March 2016, authorities said.
He and four other football players are accused of forcibly taking a freshman teammate from his dorm, tying him up with duct tape, beating him and then leaving him half-naked in a baseball field, officials said.
Investigators and the victim’s attorney say the freshman player, who identified himself as Charles Nagy, had tears in his shoulders from the incident that required surgeries to repair.
Sutter said Thursday that Spielman only "threw dirt on top of the victim" and "held open doors."
Last week, the Chicago Tribune reported Nagy filed a lawsuit against Wheaton College and seven players - not including Spielman.
That lawsuit alleges that freshman players were regularly hazed and the team's coach as well as school officials were aware of the hazing.
Spielman is the only one of the five accused to make such a deal so far.
