Alabama drops Jonathan Taylor after second domestic violence charge

Published Mar. 29, 2015 3:52 p.m. ET

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Alabama coach Nick Saban has dismissed Jonathan Taylor from the team following the second domestic violence arrest of the defensive lineman's college career.

Saban announced the decision on Sunday, a day after Tuscaloosa police arrested Taylor when a woman reported she was assaulted by her boyfriend. Taylor signed with the Crimson Tide about six months after his dismissal from Georgia following his arrest in a girlfriend's assault.

"Jonathan Taylor has been dismissed from the team and is no longer a part of our program," Saban said in a statement released through the athletic department. "This will still need to go through the legal process, but when he was given an opportunity here, it was under strict guidelines and we made it clear there was a zero tolerance policy."

University spokeswoman Deborah Lane said Sunday that Taylor has been referred to judicial affairs.

Taylor has been charged with domestic violence third-degree assault and domestic violence third-degree criminal mischief, police said.

A police news release said the woman had injuries to her neck.

The 6-foot-4, 335-pound lineman was dismissed from Georgia in July 2014 following his arrest on aggravated assault and family violence charges.

Taylor played last season at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. He was also one of four Georgia players arrested in March 2014 for receiving double payments for checks of $71.50 issued by the school's athletic department.

Alabama athletic director Bill Battle said the university and athletic department had "set forth very clear standards of accountability and expectations of conduct" for Taylor.

"Jonathan was afforded a chance to successfully overcome the difficulties that resulted in his departure from the University of Georgia," Battle said in a statement. "Unfortunately, it appears that he was unable to do so, in spite of extensive efforts to assist him.

"All of us hope that Jonathan and the young lady involved can deal constructively with the issues that led to this situation, and their aftermath, so that both of them can have productive, healthy futures.

"Violent conduct by any representative of the University of Alabama athletics department will not be tolerated. More than ever, we take seriously the responsibility that all of us have to represent our university and our state in the best way possible -- in competition and in daily life."