Vols suspend Beasley amid allegations of animal cruelty

Tennessee junior linebacker Aaron Beasley has been suspended from team activities as the Knoxville Police Department looks into allegations that he injured a six-month-old cat that belongs to his girlfriend’s roommate.

Beasley, a 6-foot-1, 225-pounder from Franklin, Georgia, had not been arrested or charged as of Monday evening.

“We have received the incident report from the Knoxville Police Department,” Tennessee said Monday night through a statement. “Aaron Beasley has been suspended indefinitely from all football team activities as we await further information.”

The cat’s owner started a GoFundMe page to help with veterinary costs and said that Beasley would hit and kick her pet as well as hold him upside down by the tail.

Tennessee is nearing the halfway mark of its first spring under new coach Josh Heupel, and the Volunteers are in need of healthy linebackers.

Beasley played in eight of 10 games last season on special teams or as a reserve linebacker, collecting seven tackles and a forced fumble. His forced fumble occurred during the 44-21 loss at Georgia.

As a true freshman in 2019, Beasley played in nine games and tallied two tackles, including one in the Gator Bowl win over Indiana.