AKRON, Ohio — A former Lowndes High School football player pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct last month, according to court officials.

The case against Brian Bell, a linebacker for the University of Akron, was closed out Oct. 12, according to records of the Akron Municipal Court.

He was originally charged with assault but the charges were reduced to disorderly conduct, said Rick Edwards, public information officer for the Akron Police Department.

May 8, the complainant had a disagreement with a friend of Bell’s at a party, according to a police report. the linebacker reportedly yelled at the victim and “sucker punched” him in the face, requiring the man to be sent to a hospital emergency room, the report said.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.