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Dan Mullen: More to assess before deciding Jeffery Simmons' status

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said the school is gathering facts before deciding what steps to take about the charges Jeffery Simmons is facing for his involvement in a fight last week.

Simmons was charged with simple assault and received a citation for misdemeanor disturbing the peace by fighting.

"To me, like any situation you get into, you evaluate all the details and research every aspect of it," Mullen told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "Our responsibility is to make sure we investigate every part of it.

"I want to see some of the police reports. There's so much more I want to evaluate within the situation before I make a decision about what's best for our program."

Ellen Hairston of Macon, Miss., told ESPN's Mark Schlabach that her 30-year-old daughter, Sophia Taylor, suffered head and neck injuries after she was allegedly struck multiple times by Simmons and others during an incident Thursday.

Video posted to Hairston's Facebook page appears to show Simmons striking a woman several times after she fell down.

Simmons, the No. 4 prospect in Mississippi according to ESPN Recruiting, posted an apology to Taylor and her family on his Facebook page on Saturday.

"My apology goes out to the Taylor Family and especially to Sophia Taylor," he wrote. "What was I thinking? Honestly, I wasn't thinking, all I could think was this is my family and I'm supposed to defend my family. ... I truly hope that you will find it in your hearts to forgive me for my actions."

Mullen said he does not have a timetable for a decision about Simmons' status. He did say that the two have spoken multiple times by phone, but would not go into detail about the nature of those conversations.

"The five seconds of video, I don't think there's anything appropriate in it," Mullen said. "That's what everyone is looking at right now, and I don't think Jeffery would say there's anything appropriate in that five seconds of video. I don't think I'd say there's anything appropriate in that five seconds of video you see. But looking at the bigger picture is where we're spending our time."