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Cunningham, 2 Others Arrested After Food Fight

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 6, 2007

GAINESVILLE - A food fight landed University of Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, a former teammate and a world-class sprinter who played receiver at LSU in jail early Wednesday morning.

Cunningham and former Florida linebacker Jon Demps were arrested at 2:49 a.m. and charged with a count each of misdemeanor battery. Police later arrested professional sprinter Xavier Carter and charged him with resisting an officer. Cunningham is the 10th Florida player arrested or cited since the national title game Jan. 8.

According to a Gainesville police report, the men threw cups and food at a Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches employee after the employee asked Cunningham, a 19-year-old sophomore who is tied for the team lead in sacks with 6.5, to pay for a bag of potato chips. According to a menu from the store's Web site, a bag of chips costs $1.

After employee Alphonso Johnson asked Cunningham to pay, according to the report, Cunningham got angry.

"The defendant struck the victim with empty soda cups he threw at him," the report said, "while the co-defendant Demps threw a sandwich at the victim, also striking him."

Cunningham and Demps, 19, fled the scene, according to the report, but were apprehended 33 minutes later on the UF campus.

As officers attempted to stop Cunningham and Demps, they noticed a third man running away and ordered him to stop. They identified that man as Carter, a 21-year-old former LSU receiver who now runs track professionally. In July 2006, Carter - a Melbourne Palm Bay High teammate of former Gators Reggie Nelson and Joe Cohen - ran the second-fastest 200-meter dash (19.63 seconds) in history at a meet in Switzerland.

Demps, a linebacker from Pensacola, was dismissed from the Gators in February.

Gators coach Urban Meyer said after Wednesday's practice he is still gathering information.

"Once I know the whole thing, I'll let you know what we're going to do. I'll let you know how serious it was," Meyer said. "I'm kind of getting some reports. ... Complete ignorance is what it sounds like. I guess in my world, I've got to deal with a lot of ignorance, you know?"

Tribune correspondent Jenna Marina contributed to this report.

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