Former University of Wisconsin and professional football player Erasmus James was charged Monday with felony battery for an alleged bar-time fight with a friend at a campus-area tavern.

James, 27, of Madison, was charged with substantial battery and disorderly conduct for allegedly punching a friend, Kyle Massey. Massey was cut under his left eye and received five stitches.

James is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

The fight happened early Thursday at Wando's, 206 University Ave., according to a criminal complaint, after Massey tried to calm James when he reacted angrily to a bartender who wouldn't serve James after bar time.

During the fracas James accidentally hit another friend, former Badgers football teammate Jonathan Clinkscale, the complaint states.

James was a first-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 2005. He last played for the Washington Redskins in 2008. In September the NFL indefinitely suspended James for unspecified reasons.