FC Cincinnati will be without forward Aaron Boupendza for 6-8 weeks after he suffered a broken jaw in a bar brawl with a local boxer.
According to a police report covered by The Athletic, the altercation happened in the early morning hours on Monday at a bar in Cincinnati, and a witness named local boxer Quashawn Toler as the man who broke Boupendza’s jaw.
The police report listed Toler as a suspect.
The outlet said that sources in the FC Cincinnati organization view Boupendza as the “victim in this situation”.
Toler has a 17-2 record as a professional boxer.
Earlier this week, FC Cincinnati issued a statement acknowledging that Boupendza’s broken jaw was an “off-field injury”.
“The club hopes for his swift and full recovery, and we look forward to having him back on the field as soon as he’s available,” the statement said.
The altercation happened at Rusconi Bar and Kitchen, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The outlet said Boupendza’s playing time had “dwindled” of late, with the club’s head coach Pat Noonan citing on-field performance as the rationale.
The 27-year-old Boupendza had scored two goals in 10 games this regular season, with two additional goals in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
According to The Athletic, even before the incident, FC Cincinnati was ready to move on from Boupendza this summer.
Last season, the team suspended the forward for “disciplinary reasons”.
FC Cincinnati paid Saudi club Al-Shabab $7 million to acquire Boupendza in a transfer last year.