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| D'Angelo Fulford has continued to play for Mount Union since his initial arrest earlier this month. Photo by Dan Poel, Ohiosi.com |
Less than 24 hours after D3football.com reported that D'Angelo Fulford failed to show in court for his Nov. 27 arraignment on the charges of speeding and driving under suspended license, he appeared in court Wednesday morning, Nov. 29, and pleaded no contest to the traffic charges, according to court records in Stark County, Ohio.
According to Max Haupt, Fulford's attorney, Fulford's failure to appear in court was because the ticket Fulford received was marked that he was not required to appear in court. It is not clear why the ticket and the court records were in conflict. Haupt said he believed, based on the ticket, that Fulford would be able to pay the fine and was not aware of a court date.
"That was an error, and because of that, he was not of the belief that he had to appear in court," Haupt told D3sports.com "That's something that was marked on his ticket. That's where things got messed up.
"The explanation was accepted by the court. Everything was resolved today and that's behind him."
Mount Union did not comment.
Fulford, the sophomore starting quarterback for Mount Union, the No. 2 team in the country and one of the eight teams remaining in the 2017 Division III playoff bracket, was initially arrested after a traffic stop just days before the Purple Raiders' first-round game vs. Washington & Lee. As a result, it was discovered that Fulford was wanted on an outstanding warrant for charges of felony battery, stemming from an incident when he was a juvenile, in Florida.
Fulford started at quarterback in the game immediately following his arrest, as well as the Purple Raiders' second-round win vs. Case Western Reserve on Nov. 25.
One of three freshman quarterbacks who each got significant playing time for Mount Union in 2016, Fulford's season ended when he broke his collarbone. Luke Poorman took over, and Dom Davis finished the season, which ended with a loss at Mary Hardin-Baylor in the national semifinals.
Fulford has completed 70.3 percent of his passes this season, throwing 48 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is 23-for-37 with 313 yards, six TDs and one pick in the two playoff wins.