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ESPN - Ole Miss Mississippi Rebels coach Andy Kennedy arrested, charged with assault

Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy will coach on Thursday night against No. 9 Louisville despite being arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly assaulting a cab driver in downtown Cincinnati.

Kennedy was at the Rebels' Thursday's shootaround after entering a not guilty plea on misdemeanor assault charges alleging he punched the cab driver in the face while shouting racial slurs.

A pre-trial hearing has been set for Jan. 16.

Ole Miss spokesperson Joey Jones, traveling with the team, said a statement would be forthcoming from the university after it went through the campus' upper administration. Kennedy met with Mississippi athletic director Pete Boone in Cincinnati on Thursday morning.

According to Cincinnati police, Kennedy allegedly assaulted 25-year-old cab driver Mohammed Ould Jiddou at 1 a.m. ET in downtown Cincinnati.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kennedy has hired former Hamilton County prosecutor Mike Allen to represent him.

Allen entered a plea of not guilty on Kennedy's behalf Thursday morning and said Kennedy "emphatically denies this and emphatically denies making any racial slurs," according to the Enquirer.

The newspaper reported that William Armstrong was also arrested during the incident and charged with disorderly conduct. According to Mississippi's athletics Web site, Armstrong is the Rebels' coordinator of basketball operations.

According to the Cincinnati Police Department arrest report, Kennedy "was the aggressor that punched listed victim with a closed fist. [Kennedy] also was using racial slurs while punching victim. There was an unrelated witness that observed the whole incident."

The victim, according to the police report, sustained injuries described as a "swollen left face."

The Rebels (7-3), considered one of the best teams in the SEC West entering this season, are playing Louisville as part of the Big East/SEC Invitational.