Muschamp: Deebo Samuel not present at alleged bar fight

South Carolina junior receiver Deebo Samuel was not present during a Saturday incident where USC football players are accused of assaulting a man in a Five Points bar, head coach Will Muschamp said Tuesday.

“We’re still kind of gathering the facts. I’ve been out of town, so I’ve been out of pocket,” Muschamp said during a stop on the Gamecock Club’s Spurs Up Tour. “We are still gathering information. I have talked to Deebo Samuel and he was not at the establishment so there’s an incorrect report and that’s some irresponsible journalism, in my opinion, but it is what it is.”

An alleged assault happened just before 3 a.m. Saturday at the Five Points Saloon and involved Samuel, Skai Moore and Jalen Dread, according to a criminal complaint filed with the Columbia Police Department.

The three have not been charged, and a Columbia police spokeswoman could not say Tuesday whether they had been interviewed by investigators.

Samuel led the Gamecocks in catches and yards last season.

Moore, an all-SEC linebacker and the team’s best defensive player in 2014 and 2015, sat out last season with a neck injury.

Dread was a backup linebacker and left the team during the offseason.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Muschamp: Deebo Samuel not present at alleged bar fight."