Kansas’ Jamari Traylor suspended for Georgetown game

LAWRENCE – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self said Monday that forward Jamari Traylor will be suspended for Wednesday’s game at Georgetown.

Traylor, who was arrested early Sunday morning following a disturbance outside a Lawrence nightclub, will travel with the team but will not play, Self said during a Monday news conference.

“Hopefully that will be a situation in which we can put it behind us, even though he’s still got some legal obligations ahead of him,” Self said. “I know that hindsight being 20-20, he realizes he should have handled the situation differently. But he’s a good kid (who) made a bad, bad choice.”

Traylor’s arrest came after an incident on early Sunday morning at The Cave, a bar located in the basement of The Oread Hotel. Rodriguez Coleman, a junior receiver on the football team, also was arrested.

According to Sgt. Trent McKinley, public affairs officer for the Lawrence Police Department, police responded to The Cave at 1:53 a.m. Sunday. Officers saw several individuals fighting outside, McKinley said, including some who went back into the bar after seeing police arrive.

“Officers observed one individual on the ground motionless, get kicked in the head by another individual,” McKinley said in a release that did not name those arrested at the scene. “Officers handcuffed that suspect and placed him in a patrol car as other officers tended to the injured subject on the ground.”

While officers attempted to identify other victims, suspects and witnesses, McKinley said, “several individuals interfered with the performance of officers’ duties in questioning suspects as others interfered with arrests or attempted to incite the crowd.”

Four arrests were made, McKinley said, adding that the incident was still under investigation.

Coleman was arrested on suspicion of battery, according to the Douglas County booking log, while Traylor was arrested on suspicion of interfering with the duties of a police officer. Each posted $100 bond.

Former Kansas football player Kevin Short also was arrested on suspicion of interfering with the duties of a police officer.

New Kansas football coach David Beaty, who was introduced Monday morning, issued a statement Sunday evening.

“The situation concerning Rodriguez was brought to our attention in the early morning hours,” Beaty said. “We are in the fact-gathering process at this time and will handle this matter internally.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2014 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Kansas’ Jamari Traylor suspended for Georgetown game."