East Carolina player charged with animal cruelty, dismissed

East Carolina dismissed starting defensive lineman Darius Commissiong from the football team after his arrest on a felony animal cruelty charge.

Greenville, North Carolina, police say a 1-year-old Shih Tzu belonging to a woman they declined to identify was found dead. The dog had three cracked ribs, a collapsed lung, a torn liver, fractured teeth and a broken left rear leg.

Commissiong was booked at the Pitt County Detention Center on $25,000 secured bond.