Jonathan Taylor's Accuser Recants; Cops Still Investigating Incident

The woman who told police that Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor assaulted her has recanted her story, according to AL.com. Taylor was arrested Saturday on domestic violence charges, and was subsequently kicked off of Alabama’s football team.

The woman—reportedly Taylor’s girlfriend—told police that she had been in a verbal and physical altercation with Taylor, but on Monday recanted and on Tuesday told police investigators that she had lied about the incident. She was charged with false reporting to law enforcement and briefly placed in jail before posting bond.

Police are still proceeding with their investigation, as the woman’s statement wasn’t the only evidence of domestic violence. Cops saw injuries on the woman’s neck, as well as a hole punched in a closet door. Kip Hart, the assistant commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit, said “I believe something happened,” and explained at a press conference why domestic violence cases are so difficult to investigate. Via AL.com:

“With domestic violence issues, the victims will sometimes have second thoughts about what happened. There’s always an emotional attachment, whether it’s pure emotion or based on financial support or family support - there are several reasons why victims change their story after a domestic violence incident,” Hart said. “It could be something like that, or, again, she could have fabricated the whole story and the charges against him are completely false. That’s why we’re still investigating this, to determine, if we can, exactly what happened.”

Taylor was previously on Georgia’s football team, but was kicked off last year after being arrested twice, including once for domestic violence. The lawyer representing Taylor in those ongoing cases told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that, in light of the recantation, Taylor should be reinstated to Alabama’s football team. An Alabama football spokesperson told AL.com that they weren’t sure yet if Taylor would be reinstated or not.

[ AL.com]

Mugshot via Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office