Texas Tech University freshman cornerback, Nigel Bethel II punched Lady Raider basketball player, Amber Battle at the Texas Tech Student Recreation Center on June 28th. The incident occurred during a casual pick-up game of basketball that quickly escalated into a physical altercation.

According to surveillance footage released to the public, it appears that Amber Battle bumped Bethel to which Bethel responded with a punch to Battle's face, breaking a bone. Bethel was immediately dropped from the football team while Battle was given a one-month suspension in November.

Bethel has been cleared by a Lubbock Grand Jury and will not be charged for his involvement in the conflict. Bethel has also been re-instated to the football program. In addition, all 12 members of the jury collectively wrote a letter to Texas Tech's Athletic Director pleading for re-instatement of the football player's athletic scholarship.

As for Amber Battle, she has released a statement in which she admits that she "initiated the first contact" and apologizes to "Nigel, the Texas Tech community, my teammates, coaches and fans".

Coach Kliff Kingsbury has been considerably quiet during this entire ordeal but released a statement via social media confirming Bethel's re-instatement.

View the footage above to choose for yourself whether or not Texas Tech made the right decision. Perhaps giving a second-chance was the appropriate way to handle this situation, however, there is a lot of controversy attached to such a decision.

The punch happens at the :15 second mark in the video above.

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