A football player who was arrested Oct. 10 after police said he assaulted his wife was referred to a diversion program in a court hearing Monday, court officials said.Horned Frogs junior wide receiver Walter Bryant, 21, of San Angelo, was suspended from the team Oct. 16 after he was arrested on suspicion of assault with bodily injury to a family member, a misdemeanor.

The diversion program, which is similar to probation, consists of weekly reports and counseling, said a spokesperson for Tarrant County Criminal Court No. 5.

Bryant will know if he is accepted into the program on his next court date, Jan. 3, assistant district attorney Jason Battenfield said. If Bryant completes the diversion program, his case could be dismissed, he said.

Bryant has 30 days to set up an appointment with the counselors at the University of Texas at Arlington who make up the diversion program, Battenfield said. The UTA counselors and the victim in Bryant’s case have to give consent before he can be accepted into the yearlong program, he said.

Bryant did not play in the Oct. 18 game against Utah but did play in the Nov. 3 game against New Mexico.

Mark Cohen, director of athletics media relations, said he did not know exactly when or why Bryant was reinstated, and said head coach Gary Patterson was unavailable for comment because he was on the road recruiting.

According to a Fort Worth police report, Bryant’s wife said he slapped her in the face during an argument the two had outside of his residence. His wife had visible physical injuries, according to the police report.