Tennessee football four-star junior college commitment Alexis Johnson has been charged with assault, which is another blow to the Volunteers this week.
It’s like the curse continues on the Tennessee football program. This is the first one that deals with a current player on the team and could have an impact on the football field this Fall.
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Alexis Johnson, a junior college defensive tackle who just enrolled at Tennessee and was likely to be in the defensive line rotation this year as a four-star, has been suspended.
The Vol newcomer is facing charges of aggravated assault and false imprisonment, according to a local news report in Knoxville.
Here is an excerpt from the story.
"According to a police report, Johnson was play fighting in his apartment with a girl he previously dated. The victim told police that the play fighting escalated when Johnson placed his hand around her throat several times. She told investigators the constriction was so tight she couldn’t fight back and felt like she was going to pass out.Investigators say a witness reported that Johnson appeared to be punching the victim and injured her lip. The witness said that Johnson tried repeatedly to touch and kiss the victim who repeatedly refused interest in a sexual encounter."
According to sources, Johnson denies that he did anything wrong and is scheduled to appear in court on March 1 for arraignment.
This is the worst thing that could happen to the program at this point.
The Tennessee brand is already being slung through the mud in how it handles victims with the Title IX lawsuit being filed, which brought up the 20-year old allegations against Peyton Manning, which brought up the original lawsuit his accuser had against the university in 1996, and the recent child sex charges against former Vol Mack Crowder.
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Now, in the midst of all of that, Johnson has found himself in this situation. It is bad.