BUTTE VALLEY >> The Butte College football team has removed a player facing rape charges from when he played for Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

College President Kimberly Perry announced the school’s decision to cut Brandon Banks, 20, of Brandywine, Maryland, from the football team in a statement Tuesday. She said Banks’ pending criminal charges violate the student-athlete code of conduct.

“Butte College has a strong code of conduct for all student-athletes, and clearly with the charges pending, the student should not have been allowed to participate on the team,” Perry stated.

She asked the public to respect Banks’ privacy and to let the judicial process work without prematurely judging the man.

Banks’ participation on the team could be re-examined if he is found not guilty or if charges are dropped, Perry stated.

Al Renville, college vice president of student services, said the school took action Tuesday because administrators became aware of the criminal charges against Banks.

“Given the information that we know now, he’s not allowed to participate,” he said.

Renville said action was also necessary because the matter had caused a disruption among the campus community and ultimately the team.

“We are always very concerned about the health and safety of our students,” he said.

Dorm room incident

Banks is charged along with Cory Batey, 20, of Nashville, Jaborian McKenzie, 20, of Woodville, Mississippi, and Brandon Vandenburg, 21, of Indio, for the alleged rape of an unconscious 21-year-old student in Vandenburg’s dorm room on June 23, 2013.

At a court hearing last year, a prosecutor alleged the defendants raped the woman and then moved her body onto a hallway floor before moving her back into the room, according to The Tennessean newspaper.

There was surveillance video of the men’s activity in the hallway which prompted university officials to report the matter to police on June 25, 2013, according to The Associated Press.

At the time of the alleged incident, the men were all players for the Vanderbilt Commodores, although The Tennessean reported they never played a game for the team. Banks had been a redshirt freshman cornerback prospect in 2012.

After the incident, the men were cut from the team and they were barred from the Vanderbilt campus pending an investigation.

The men were arraigned in Davidson County Criminal Court in August 2013 on five counts of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery.

A fifth player pleaded to misdemeanor criminal intent in exchange for his testimony at trial. Two other men from California were charged with tampering with evidence.

Banks’ and McKenzie’s cases were separated from Batey’s and Vandenburg’s. Batey and Vandenburg are now set to face trial Nov. 3, while Banks and McKenzie were scheduled to appear on that date for discussion, according to the court clerk’s website.

Splitting the cases up opens up the possibility of Banks and McKenzie testifying against their co-defendants.

Under Tennessee law, aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery can include several circumstances, including use of force or coercion, the infliction of bodily injury, or if others aid a defendant in taking advantage of a mentally incapacitated or physically helpless person.

If convicted, the defendants can face between 15 to 60 years for aggravated rape and 8 to 30 years for aggravated sexual battery.

Did not play at Butte

Banks had joined the Roadrunners over the summer, according to a statement from the college. McKenzie was reportedly playing football for Alcorn State University in Mississippi, according to Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV Channel 4.

The men are out on bond and there were no travel restrictions on Banks, according to the Davidson County District Attorney General’s Office.

Banks did not play in the Roadrunners’ first game of the season Saturday against Chabot College, according to game statistics posted on the California Community College Athletic Association website.

The situation involving Banks was discussed by Butte College administrators about three weeks ago, according to Renville. He said athletics director Craig Rigsbee had asked him for advice about if a student accused of sexual assault in another state could enroll at Butte.

Renville had concluded that any adult with a high school diploma could attend Butte if no action had been taken, such as an indictment or conviction. If the person chose to play a sport, it was up to the coaches and the team to decide whether to allow them.

Renville said he had told Rigsbee that a student’s eligibility to play sports could be affected if the student is indicted, convicted or sentenced. Rigsbee responded that he wasn’t aware of that possibility in this case.

The school removed Banks from the team after receiving more information about Banks’ criminal charges and suspension from Vanderbilt, Renville said.

According to the conduct code (http://goo.gl/NKw6x6), an athlete charged with a felony is automatically suspended from participating in sports. After an investigation by the athletics director, additional disciplinary action may be taken, including continued suspension.

If a student is convicted of a felony, he is automatically dismissed from the team after a review by the athletics director.

Perry said in her statement that Banks can continue to attend classes as Butte is an open enrollment campus.

However, the college president said the college would immediately review its athletic enrollment policies.

Reach reporter Ryan Olson at facebook.com/NorCalJustice and 896-7763.