Oregon wide receiver Darren Carrington II hasn't started in the Ducks' last two games, and as it turns out, it's reportedly for a pretty outrageous reason. According to The Oregonian, Carrington allegedly pushed a 22-year-old man named Mike Holland off a curb during an altercation on Oct. 30, which caused Holland to break his arm. Carrington allegedly did this while he was dressed up as The Joker for Halloween, but witnesses were apparently able to identify him after he identified himself to those who saw what took place. "I'm Darren Carrington, No. 7, wide receiver for the Ducks," he reportedly yelled. "That's right, Darren Carrington, San Diego, California."
Holland told police that the attack was unprovoked and, in all likelihood, a case of mistaken identity. Just moments before Carrington allegedly pushed him, Holland and three corroborating witnesses claim that several Oregon football players were involved in a separate incident in a parking lot at around 2 a.m. Carrington then approached Holland and yelled "[I] heard what you said about me" at him. They told police Carrington had face paint on, which would make sense since he posted photos of himself in a Joker costume on Instagram that night:
Holland told police that, before he was even able to comprehend what Carrington was saying to him, he "was pushed at full force, kind of like you would to a bench press." That caused Holland to fall to the ground and sustain an arm injury. "As I was breaking my fall on the asphalt with my right hand, I landed pretty forcefully," he said. "That's when I broke my arm."
At that point, Holland claims Carrington started yelling his name, his jersey number, his position, and his hometown. Witnesses also told police that they saw a shoulder-width tattoo featuring Carrington's last name across his back since he was shirtless during the alleged attack.
This isn't the first time Carrington has found himself in trouble at Oregon. In 2014, he was forced to miss the Ducks' National Championship Game against Ohio State after he failed a drug test. He was later ruled ineligible for the first half of the 2015 season. Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said the team is "aware of" the most recent incident involving Carrington and handling it internally. At the moment, Carrington doesn't appear to be in trouble with the law.
Carrington has recorded 35 catches this season for 493 yards and three touchdowns and is considered an NFL draft prospect if he decides to leave school early before his senior year.
