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Florida State football star acquitted of battery, reinstated to team

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Nov 15, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) runs for a …

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - A star running back for Florida State University's football squad may return to the field on Tuesday, one day after he was acquitted of a misdemeanor battery charge that he punched a young woman in the mouth outside a bar.

A jury deliberated for 25 minutes before delivering its not guilty verdict in the case against Dalvin Cook, FSU's leading rusher last season.

Cook, who had been suspended from the team pending the outcome of the trial, was immediately reinstated and considered eligible to practice and compete, FSU said in a statement.