Days after Jonathan Taylor was kicked off the Alabama football team following his arrest for assault, the woman who made the accusations against him has recanted her story.
Taylor was arrested last weekend after a 24-year-old woman, whose name has been withheld, filed a complaint saying the two had been in a verbal argument that turned physical. Based on evidence that included bruises to her neck, university police went to her apartment, where they found Taylor and arrested him Saturday.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban reacted swiftly in kicking Taylor off the team Sunday night. This was Taylor’s first arrest since he came to Alabama in January, but he had previously been kicked off the team at Georgia, following two arrests, including one for assault in 2014.
Since his arrest and dismissal from the Tide over the weekend, the accuser contacted police and provided a written statement saying she fabricated the story. She was then interviewed by local police and maintained her new version of the story, that Taylor did not assault her. Based on the written statement and the subsequent police interviews, she has been arrested and charged with False Reporting to Law Enforcement.
Taylor has not been completely cleared at this point. Tuscaloosa County Metro commander Kip Hart said the investigation is still ongoing. He said based on “visible marks to her and the damage that was observed at the residence, there was sufficient evidence for the initial charges.” Because both of those pieces of evidence remain, Hart said the charges against Taylor are being reviewed.
While Saban removed Taylor from the football program, the university had yet to make a determination on whether or not he could stay enrolled as a student. Taylor’s attorney, Kim Stephens, told AL.com that Taylor deserves another chance. “I think fairness would dictate they’d reconsider and at least talk to the accuser, or former accuser, in the case, then make a decision based on that.” Neither Saban nor the university has had a comment on the latest revelations in the case.
UPDATE:
It is now being confirmed that Jonathan Taylor has been dismissed as a student from the University of Alabama. AL.com’s Melissa Brown is reporting that an Alabama spokesperson confirmed this afternoon that Taylor is no longer a student there. Taylor was thrown off the football team Sunday after he was arrested Saturday for allegedly assaulting a woman during an argument. As LWOS reported earlier today, the woman has since recanted her claims. Tuscaloosa police say since there was physical evidence of an altercation, the charges against Taylor are under review. What remains unclear is whether Taylor was thrown out of school immediately after his dismissal from the football team or whether it occurred after the recanting of the allegations against him. An Alabama spokesperson cited privacy laws as the reason for not being more specific. Regardless of the timing of the expulsion, under Office of Student Conduct guidelines, Taylor is not eligible for readmission to the university.
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