San Diego Athlete Beaten on Eve of College Title Game

Johnson, a 6-2, 205-pound junior from San Diego, moved into the starting lineup in the second game.

A bathroom fight Friday among football players from Winston-Salem State and Virginia State during a CIAA championship game luncheon left the WSSU quarterback beaten and charges filed against a player from the other team.

San Diego athlete Rudy Johnson, the starting quarterback for the Rams, was "viciously beaten" by members of the Virginia State team, school officials said.

Johnson played basketball and football for Horizon Christian Academy in San Diego before enrolling at Winston-Salem State.

A school spokesperson said Johnson was assaulted in the bathroom at the conference center on campus during the luncheon.

A photo taken of Johnson shows him holding ice over his right eye.

Spokesperson Nancy Young identified the suspect as 22-year-old Lamont Daniel Britt, a running back from Portsmouth, Va. Britt was held Friday on a charge of misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury.

Virginia State issued a statement saying it is fully cooperating in the investigation and couldn't comment further.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported that five Virginia State players were involved and WSSU's chancellor said university police are trying to identify the others.

One of Johnson's teammates told the newspaper that "Rudy was beaten up bad and he can't play."

Johnson, a 6-2, 205-pound junior from San Diego, moved into the starting lineup in the second game.

He has completed 150 of 239 passes for 2,076 yards and 22 touchdowns with five interceptions in his nine games. He's also the team's second-leading rusher with 420 yards and six rushing scores.

Britt, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound sophomore, was Virginia State's third-leading rusher with 276 yards and one touchdown on 63 carries. He also had seven catches for 78 yards on the year.

The conference consists of 12 historically black colleges and universities in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The title game was canceled.

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