UPDATED: players suspended following arrests in nightclub incident
A player currently in the running for Texas Tech’s vacant starting quarterback position was among four football players suspended indefinitely following a Sunday morning incident in front of a Texas nightclub.
Texas Tech football coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Tuesday sophomore quarterback Jett Duffey, junior wide receiver Quan Shorts, junior defensive back Desmon Smith and junior linebacker Christian Taylor are suspended and will be punished internally for their arrests in the incident.
Kingsbury said he’s “waiting on legal recourse to act further,” according to Will McKay of RedRaiderSports.com.
“We’re not happy about it. How they acted won’t be tolerated,” Kingsbury said, via InsideTheRedRaiders.com. “They all four have misdemeanors, and it’s never a good situation. Hopefully we can learn from it, have something the entire program can see and move on.”
Records show Duffey and Taylor were arrested by the Lubbock Police Department on complaints of criminal mischief between $100 and $750, a Class B misdemeanor in Texas. Smith and Shorts were arrested on complaints for disorderly conduct, according to an arrest report. In total, 10 were arrested in the incident that left Smith injured with a dog bite.
Kasie Whitley, public information assistant for the Lubbock Police Department, said in an email to CNHI that police were dispatched to Bash Riprocks, 2419 Main St. in Lubbock, at 1:54 a.m. following reports of a disturbance in front of the nightclub where a suspect was possibly armed.
An arrest report released Monday said officers witnessed Taylor walking in the middle of the street before he kicked and later punched the windshield of a 2012 Honda in front of a responding officer. The report said Taylor claimed the vehicle tried to hit him, but the officer said he “could clearly see” the vehicle traveling at a slow pace attempting to leave the area.
After the incident escalated — the report estimates as many as 150 in the crowd — Duffey punched a hole through a door at a nearby apartment complex. The report listed property damage of $500 for the door and $130 for the smashed windshield.
Officers located a large group of people in front of the nightclub impeding traffic, Whitley said. After officers witnessed a suspect intentionally smashing a car windshield, the crowd became aggressive when police tried to arrest the suspect.
Whitley said Smith was taken to University Medical Center in Lubbock for a dog bite from one of the responding K-9 units. Smith was treated, released and later booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center. The arrest report indicated Smith’s injury was to his left ankle.
Duffey was booked at Lubbock County Detention Center at 4:15 a.m. and released at 12:59 p.m., while Taylor was booked at 4:48 a.m. and released at 11:49 a.m. Smith was released at 3:10 p.m. Sunday. Records show Shorts was released Monday at 2:59 a.m.
The arrests came hours after Texas Tech held a spring scrimmage in Midland, Texas. Duffey is battling for the starting quarterback job with McLane Carter, as the Red Raiders move on from departing senior Nic Shimonek and his 3,963 passing yards from 2017.
“It’s a bad situation for him. By making a dumb decision, he put himself in a tough spot, not getting reps during a quarterback competition,” said Kingsbury, according to LubbockOnline.com. “He’s got to figure that out. We believe in Jett. I believe in the type of young man he is, but he’s got to stop making decisions that can affect his career.”
Duffey has struggled to stay out of the negative headlines since arriving on campus as a three-star dual-threat recruit from Mansfield, Texas. The Lubbock Avalance-Journal reported last April that Duffey was suspended for the spring and summer semesters for sexual misconduct. He rejoined the team last August.
Smith, meanwhile, started seven games at cornerback last year, finishing with 30 tackles and four passes defended. He is expected to take on a larger role in 2018.
Shorts is competing for a starting spot at wide receiver after Texas Tech lost its top three receivers from 2017. Shorts caught nine passes for 102 yards and two scores in 2017.
Taylor was a reserve who played in all 13 games last year, accounting for five total tackles.
Complete booking information is below.