Charges dismissed against USC basketball player Felder

Charges have been dismissed against Gamecock basketball player Rakym Felder, who had been charged in connection with an incident in Five Points over the summer.

Felder was arrested July 13 by Columbia police and charged with third-degree assault and battery, Richland County court records indicated at the time. The charge stemmed from a fight in Five Points in the early hours of June 30, according to a Columbia Police Department incident report.

The decision to drop the charges was made by the city’s prosecutor, Columbia police spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons told The State. Timmons would not say why the charges were dismissed.

Messages left with Felder’s attorney, Neal Lourie, and USC athletics spokesman Steve Fink were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.

Felder played a key role in USC’s Final Four run this past season and had been expected to replace P.J. Dozier at point guard. He is not enrolled at USC in the fall semester, but with the charges dropped the door could be open for him to return next semester.

Felder was charged July 13, and a judge released him the same day on personal recognizance. He had been suspended from the team since June 30.

“Due to some unfortunate decisions by Rakym, he has been suspended indefinitely from our program,” Coach Frank Martin said in a statement when Felder’s suspension was announced last month. “I will continue to help Rakym grow as a young man even though basketball is not part of our relationship right now.”

Felder released the following statement Aug. 16 through Lourie:

“I’m very sorry for my recent behavior that led to my arrest and school suspension. I take full responsibility for my actions and make no excuses for my conduct.

“I apologize to the entire University of South Carolina family including our loyal fans, President Pastides, Board of Trustees, Athletic Director Ray Tanner, Coach Martin and his staff, and my teammates. I know I have let you down and I will have to work hard to regain your trust.”

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Charges dismissed against USC basketball player Felder."