Former Weber State linebacker Anthony Morales was charged with felony aggravated assault and battery on Thursday in the beating of New York Yankees minor league pitcher Ty Hensley.

The assault occurred at about 3 a.m. Dec. 28, according to Oklahoma City police. Officers at the scene found Hensley lying on the kitchen floor bleeding from his lip and chin. Witnesses told police that Morales and Hensley were in a heated argument. One witness reported seeing Morales kicking and hitting Hensley on the floor before Morales left.

According to a witness in the police report, the argument between Morales and Hensley had to do with sports and signing bonuses.

Hensley was drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft by the New York Yankees. Hensley pitched over 30 innings in 11 games last season with the Yankees’ Rookie League and Low A affiliates, striking out 40 batters and posting a 2.93 Earned Run Average.

Morales signed a three-year rookie contract with the Carolina Panthers in July, just before fall training camp started. The Panthers cut Morales from the team in late August as part of preseason moves to trim down the team’s roster for the regular season.

In four seasons at Weber State, Morales recorded 342 career total tackles, including 210 assisted tackles, ranking him third all-time in team history. Morales was named the team’s Defensive MVP in his senior season after finishing third in the Big Sky Conference, averaging 10 tackles per game.

The Signpost reached out to Morales, who declined to give a statement and referred The Signpost to his lawyer, Joe White. White did not return repeated phone calls.