NICO LAW ARRESTED: THE LAW FOUGHT THE LAW OR SOMETHING

They say nothing good ever happens at midnight, which is blatantly false, because Panchero's is open late and late-night Panchero's is the best Panchero's. But good is not the absence of bad, and if the police reports are any indication, a bad thing happened at the good Panchero's early Saturday morning.

Nico Law, a rising senior at strong safety, was arrested at 2:31 am Saturday after an altercation at the Clinton St. Panchero's. According to police reports, he was released by 9:55 am that morning and cited for disorderly conduct, a simple misdemeanor. Here's more from HawkCentral.com:

The complaint states that police interviewed witnesses on the scene who said an assailant jumped a male victim, punched him, tackled him and then kicked him while he was on the ground.

The victim identified Law by name as the assailant and witnesses described the assailant as a black male of medium height wearing all white, according to the complaint.

The victim said he was attacked because of a verbal altercation between himself and Law’s female friend, according to the complaint.

A police officer on the scene found Law a block south of Pancheros, according to the complaint.

That is not terribly fun to read, especially in light of another football player who kicked a guy while he was down not too long ago, and the horrendous consequences of that fight. Obviously Nico Law didn't kick the victim to the brink of death, but the decisions were far more alike than dissimilar.

That all said, we've gotta hear both sides. Say what you will about Kirk Ferentz and his record of program discipline, but he has been predominantly thoughtful and fair in the suspensions he hands out. Kirk Ferentz is the same guy who swiftly kicked RB Dana Brown off the team after a charge of domestic assault before during the 2007 season and who famously declined to sit DE Adrian Clayborn after Clayborn punched a reportedly racist cabbie. That's not to say we don't think Law should be suspended—it's far too early for a determination like that—but we should expect an appropriate punishment here.

That's a bummer for Law, because unless there's a reeeeeeally good reason he jumped that person (or unless this is all mistaken identity and he never touched a soul, which seems unlikely but is still theoretically possible), he's likely in for multiple games of suspension and an extended stay in the Kirk Ferentz Doghouse. And yes, while Law only had four tackles last year, he was giving John Lowdermilk a legitimate run for the starting gig, by all serious accounts. Moreover, with Iowa looking at more diverse personnel arrangements in 2014, Law may have found increased playing time even as a backup, acting as a type of "rover." It was possible. Technically, it still is. But like Law, it's in serious trouble right now.

Here was Kirk Ferentz's statement on the matter, per The Gazette:

"I was disappointed to hear of the incident involving Nico," he said. "We will work with authorities in gathering the facts. Nico will go through the UI Student-Athlete Code of Conduct process and we will move forward from there."