Alabama's Jonathan Taylor dismissed after second domestic violence arrest
Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor has been dismissed from the team after he was arrested on domestic violence charges, the team announced.
Taylor was arrested Saturday on charges of domestic violence third-degree assault and domestic violence third-degree criminal mischief, the Tuscaloosa Police Department announced.
According to the TPD, officers responded to a call from a 24-year-old woman who said she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, leading to Taylor's arrest. The woman had minor neck injuries as a result of the incident.
This marks the second domestic violence arrest for Taylor in the past year. He was initially arrested on charges of felony assault and domestic battery last July for allegedly striking his girlfriend with a closed fist and choking her during a dorm room argument. A member of Georgia's program at the time, Taylor was dismissed from the team after the arrest. Those charges are still pending.
The 21-year-old was also arrested last March. He was one of four Georgia players arrested and charged with "theft by deception" for cashing stipend checks twice.
Taylor enrolled at Alabama in January after spending the 2014 season at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss.
At the time Taylor enrolled at Alabama, Crimson Tide athletic director Bill Battle said he and the team's coaches felt Taylor was "worthy of a second chance at completing his college football career at this level, and that [Taylor] fully understands the position in which he has placed himself."
Taylor's July arrest violated a pre-trial intervention program he had been placed in after his arrest last March. It's unclear what effect his arrest Saturday will have on his previous criminal cases.
A former four-star recruit, Taylor had nine tackles and one sack in 10 games for Georgia as a redshirt freshman in 2013.
Taylor's arrest came the same day that teammate Geno Smith was arrested on DUI charges.
- Ben Estes
