Five Rutgers football players have been suspended after being charged criminally, according to athletic director Julie Hermann.

One of the players was charged in two home invasions and four others were charged with assaulting a group of people in April, reports ESPN.

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Defensive back Andre Boggs, 20, was charged with robbery, burglary while armed and conspiracy to commit an armed robbery as part of the investigation into the home invasions.

Meanwhile, the four charged with aggravated assault, riot and conspiracy to commit a riot were defensive back Nadir Barnwell, defensive back Ruhann Peele,  fullback Razohnn Gross and defensive back Delon Stephenson.

The four allegedly attacked a group of at least four other individuals unprovoked in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that resulted in a a broken jaw to a 19-year-old male Rutgers student.

Boggs was allegedly among three masked men forced their way into a New Brunswick  home and stole cash and marijuana from five students at gunpoint on April 26. He was later linked to another home invasion on April 27 where a student was robbed of approximately $900 and amount of marijuana by men armed with a baseball bat and a knife.

The Rutgers football program is already in a mess after its coach Kyle Flood became embroiled in an ongoing academics-related probe.

Barnwell is at the center of the investigation of Flood for possible violation of school or NCAA rules by allegedly sending an email to a faculty member inquiring about the player's academic status, according to NJ.com.

Flood claimed he did not ask the professor to change the player's grade but asked what could be done to improve it.

However, university's policy requires all communication with faculty members about a student-athlete's academics should go through an appointed academic adviser. 

In fact, any contact with a professor could be deemed as an attempt to change a player's grade and would be considered a violation of NCAA rules. 

TagsRutgers football players, Rutgers suspension, Criminal charges, NCAA football, Rutgers University