Florida State is already having a bad year with a 3-5 record and not living up to any expectations on the field. There's now a case off the field that the school and team will be dealing with as starting offensive lineman Josh Ball is facing accusations from his ex-girlfriend that include dating violence, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
"He is a violent person, and I'm scared he's going to take it too far," wrote his former girlfriend in a Leon County sworn petition for injunction for protection against dating violence.
She also wrote that she dated the 6-foot-8, 325-pound lineman for a year and a half. She claims that there were three physical attacks against her from Ball and a fourth incident that was broken up by Seminole coaches. She claims that he broke her cell phone by throwing it against a wall in one incident, slapped her in the face, shoved her into a closet and threw her on the floor in separate incidents. She also alleges that he deleted photos of her injuries from her phone and bent her car key so she couldn't leave one altercation.
When contacted by the Times, her attorney declined to comment. Neither Ball's attorney nor the Tallahassee Police Department responded to phone messages. However, the Seminoles issued a short statement Monday evening.
"We are aware of the matter, which is currently being reviewed by the appropriate authorities. The student-athlete's status with the team is unchanged. We will have no further comment."
After redshirting last season, Ball has started in the last four games, and appeared in all the others, leading into the Clemson game this upcoming weekend.
