LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A former University of Louisville defensive back charged in November with felony strangulation and domestic assault had those charges dropped but was convicted of disorderly conduct, according to court records.
Tayon Holloway, 21, was given a diverted sentence on March 27, meaning he will avoid jail, and if he stays out of trouble and follows certain conditions until June 4, the disorderly conduct charge will be dismissed and expunged, or erased, from his record.
As part of the conditions, Holloway is allowed to have no contact with the victim, pay her $52 and not own any guns while on diversion.
On Nov. 11, Holloway was arrested after allegedly attacking a woman when she tried to stop him from smoking marijuana at about 9 p.m., according to a police report.
Police claimed Holloway threw the woman off the bed and hit her in the face with his fists. When she tried to fight back, Holloway allegedly put a pillow over her face, smothering her for about 10 seconds before attempting to throw her out of the room, police claimed.
However, the strangulation charge was quickly amended down to second-degree strangulation and then dismissed.
Attorney Lonita Baker, who is representing Holloway, said they disputed the strangulation charge. The misdemeanor assault charge was amended to disorderly conduct.
The football team had arrived back in Louisville from a game against Stanford about 8 p.m. that night.
At the time, the U of L released a statement saying they were “aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway. As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”
On Monday, Rocco Gasparro, a spokesperson for the U of L football program, said Holloway has not been with the team in spring practice and is “not a member of the football team.” He was unsure if there will be any change to Holloway’s status in the future.
Baker said, “our hope is he can resume his playing career, preferably at UofL, but that’s up to the administration and coaches. His hope is to put this incident behind him.”
Holloway, a redshirt sophomore who was a four-star high school prospect out of Virginia Beach, Va., played two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Louisville.
He was a standout defensive back and special teams performer for Louisville last season. He blocked a field goal attempt and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown against Georgia Tech, and had collected his first career sack in a loss to Stanford.
It was another play against Stanford, when he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for a sideline shove, that got more attention. That 15-yard penalty moved Stanford closer to field goal position, and an offsides call on a teammate the very next snap left the Cardinal with a 52-yard field goal attempt, which it made to win the game.
Holloway started three games at cornerback while Quincy Riley was out with an injury. He has played in 10 Louisville games last season.
This story may be updated.
