An Iowa football player has been arrested for breaking a woman’s back and attempting to sexually assault her.
Aidan Ralph, a Hurricanes sophomore, was arrested Tuesday in Ames, Iowa, for a Dec. 3 incident in which he accused a woman of cheating on him and shoving her multiple times, including once in a stairwell, according to To report to the police.
The woman, who was said to have suffered a stress fracture in her spine, allegedly pleaded with Ralph to call an ambulance as she lay motionless, but he refused.
She alleged that he pulled her pants down to check the injury and help relieve her pain, after which he began to rape her.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman had obvious swelling and Ralph admitted to pushing her up the stairs.
Ralph, 20, is charged with domestic violence and third-degree sexual assault according to Storey County Sheriff’s Office records.
He faces up to 12 years in prison, including 10 years for sexual assault, which is a Class C felony in Iowa.
The Iowa State Athletic Department said in a statement that the 6-foot-2 Ralph “is no longer a member of the Iowa State football program.”
He did not appear in any games for Iowa during his freshman season; A link to his resume on the school’s athletics website now leads to an error page.
Ralph posted $11,000 bail on Wednesday, according to The Athletic.
He was assigned a public defender and ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victim.
His next court hearing is scheduled for May 15.
