Jonathan Taylor: University of Alabama Expels Football Player Amid Open Domestic Violence Investigation
ByThe University of Alabama (UA) has expelled Jonathan Taylor without the possibility of readmission, ending his shot at earning reinstatement to the Crimson Tide football team.
A spokesperson confirmed to AL.com Thursday Taylor was expelled and cited school policy for his inability to reapply. An official at UA did not specify the reason for Taylor's expulsion, but it comes shortly after his arrest Saturday on domestic violence charges.
Complicating the matter is the woman who accused him of abusing her and doing damage to her property recanted earlier this week and was arrested for filing a false report. Regardless, Taylor's expulsion effectively ends his football career for the Crimson Tide.
"That decision has already been made. He won't be back with us," Nick Saban, the school's head football coach, told ESPN.
Taylor had already been dismissed at the University of Georgia for two arrests, one of which was also related to an instance of domestic violence in which he allegedly hit his girlfriend at the time with a closed fist. After spending a year playing football at a junior college, Saban signed the six-foot-four, 335-pound defensive tackle.
In the wake of Taylor's most recent arrest, Saban defended his decision at a news conference earlier this week, saying he was giving the young football player a second chance. The investigation into the charges initially filed against Taylor is still open and the Tuscaloosa County Homicide (TCH) is reviewing them, a spokesman told AL.com.
"[Officers] observed injuries to her and damage to the apartment where she said the incident occurred," Lt. Kip Hart, assistant commander of the TCH, told the website. "Based on what they say and based on her original statement, there was probable case to make the arrest."