Columbia player charged with hate crime

May 9, 2013 - 4:23 PM New York, NY (Sports Network) - A Columbia University football player has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly assaulting another student and using racial slurs.

Chad Washington, a 19-year-old sophomore defensive lineman from Oakland, Calif., was charged with misdemeanor aggravated harassment as a hate crime. He was arraigned Wednesday and released without bail.

Police said Washington, who the Ivy League university lists as 6-foot-4, 242 pounds, followed the victim from his dorm room early Sunday, pushed him against a wall, grabbed him by the collar, yelled racial slurs and threatened him.

Washington is African-American; the alleged victim is of Asian descent.

Washington's lawyer, Daniel Fetterman, told NBC News the allegations don't reflect what happened.