Florida wide receiver Chris Rainey, 22, was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with aggravated stalking after an incident involving a woman he had been dating on and off for the past three years.
A representative from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said Rainey, who stood in front of a judge Tuesday morning, has been released from custody. The judge ordered him to have no contact with the woman and to be at home from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., unless he is working or at a school function, while the case is pending. The next court date has not been determined.
The alleged victim asked for the judge to drop the charges, but the state attorney's office will still investigate the matter involving Rainey, who was represented by a public defender in his first appearance.
"She has basicaly explained that the whole situation was blown out of proportion and she did not want him arrested in the first place," Chief Investigator for the State Attorney Spencer Mann said. "So her wishes are to not press charges."
From this point on, Rainey will be represented by Johnson and Osteryoung. Huntley Johnson, an attorney who has represented various UF athletes, is hopeful that his client can overcome the incident.
"For him to be charged with a felony is probably a little overblown," Johnson said. "I'm cautiously optimistic that it will be worked out in such a fashion the he and the young lady in question can get on with their lives and have this be just a small bump in the road."
He went on to say that Rainey has either been "removed from the team or suspended indefinitely" by the Gators.
According to the police report, the incident began when Rainey texted “you don’t care about me” to the victim at 10:30 p.m. on Monday. She responded by telling him to go to bed and leave her alone.
Instead, Rainey showed up at the woman's residence and continued to call and text the woman until she threatened to call the police, the report states.
At 11:47 p.m., the victim went outside and noticed that Rainey was gone. Thirty-five minutes later, he allegedly texted the woman, “Time to die.”
Following the threatening message, she called the police.
When she notified Rainey that law enforcement officers wanted to talk to him, he replied, “wait and see what happens when they leave,” the report states.
Rainey later admitted to police that he sent the “time to die" text.
A UF spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the incident.
Rainey, who has caught six balls for 34 yards this season, suffered a concussion against South Florida on Saturday but was expected to play against Tennessee this week. His status for the Gators’ upcoming game is still unknown.
"Mr. Rainey is a tough young man," Johnson said. "He'll be fine."
