Nick Saban says he believes in second chances for his young men who make mistakes. His own football players may be putting that to the test after two of them were arrested in separate incidents over the weekend, with one of them being dismissed from the team.
Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor was arrested Saturday night on domestic violence charges. University of Alabama police received a complaint from a female student claiming she had been assaulted by her boyfriend early Saturday evening. The police report states the alleged victim had, “minor injuries to her neck from the assault.” Police went to the woman’s apartment, found Taylor still there and arrested him on charges of Domestic Violence, 3rd Degree Assault charges.
Saban was heavily criticized in college football circles for taking Taylor on the team in January. Taylor had already been arrested in March of 2014 while playing at the University of Georgia, as part of a group of Bulldog players that tried to fraudulently cash meal reimbursement checks multiple times. Taylor, and the others, deposited the checks through a mobile phone bank app, and then later cashed the paper checks at a local convenience store. Each was charged with a misdemeanor and served a brief suspension from the football team during Spring practice. Four months later, Taylor was arrested for aggravated assault on a woman and Georgia head coach Mark Richt immediately dismissed him from the team. He spent last Fall playing football at a junior college in Mississippi.
Even while the trial from his assault charges in Georgia was still pending, Alabama admitted him into school in January. At that time, Crimson Tide Athletic Director Bill Battle said one of the school’s priorities was to, “make every effort to help develop young people into well-adjusted, well-rounded people.” Battle said they had researched Taylor’s past. “Our coaches and I feel he is worthy of a second chance of completing his college football career at this level.”
Sunday night, Saban announced that Taylor had been kicked off the team. He said in a statement released through the athletic department, that Taylor, “was given an opportunity, it was under strict guidelines and we made it clear there was a zero tolerance policy.”
The drama with Taylor comes less than 48 hours after the Tuscaloosa News reported that Tide defensive back Geno Smith was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. Smith, a junior who played in all 14 games for the Tide last year posted $1,000 bail and was released from custody Saturday afternoon. This is not new for Smith. He was also arrested on DUI charges in August on 2013. Saban suspended him one game for that incident.
Neither the university, nor Saban, has released any comment regarding Smith’s current situation or his status with the team.
