Matt Rambo Suspended, Charged with First- and Second-Degree Assault

John Tillman has indefinitely suspended Matt Rambo after Rambo was charged with first- and second-degree assault, as well as malicious destruction of property under $1,000, following an incident that occurred on October 22, 2014. The charges levied against Rambo are of varying degrees of seriousness:

• First-degree assault in Maryland is considered a felony and carries with it a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
• Second-degree assault in Maryland is considered a misdemeanor -- assuming the prohibited action was not taken against a "law enforcement officer" -- and carries with it a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison or a fine not exceeding $2,500 or both.
• Malicious destruction of property under $1,000 is considered a misdemeanor and carries with it a maximum penalty of 60 days in prison and a fine not exceeding $500 or both.

On a pretrial motion of the State of Maryland, a court may dismiss a charge of assault if: (1) the victim and the defendant agree to the dismissal; and (2) the court considers the dismissal property. In this instance, a defendant must pay the costs that would have been incurred if the defendant had been found guilty.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Maryland did not learn of the incident until earlier this week:

A spokesman said the team did not learn about the incident until earlier in the week. [Rambo's] court date is scheduled for Nov. 24 in District Court in Upper Marlboro.

"We hold our student-athletes to a high standard and they are expected to represent our program and university accordingly," Tillman said in a statement. "We will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation. Because this is an ongoing matter, we will refrain from any further comment at this time."

Rambo had a monster freshman campaign for the Terps, bucketing 30 goals on 111 shots. He took a starting position for Maryland in each of the Terps' games games last season and his 36 points in 2014 were the second most on the team. In 2015, Rambo was expected to buoy an offense that suffered personnel losses in Mike Chanenchuck and Connor Cannizzaro, but his status as a tent pole performer for Maryland this coming spring is in flux given his current situation.

Student assistant Brian Cooper -- a former defenseman for the Terrapins and a member of the Chesapeake Bayhawks -- was also charged with first- and second-degree assault. Tillman dismissed Cooper from the program following the issuance of charges against him.