Tennessee starting safety Jaylen McCollough is facing a felony aggravated assault charge.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said McCollough was arrested Sunday afternoon after an incident at a Knoxville apartment complex.
According to the arrest warrant, a man told police he inadvertently walked into the wrong apartment and left after apologizing to the residents. He said another man followed him out and became aggressive.
“As he was walking away, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around at the top of the stairs approximately 30 feet from the door and was punched in the face,” read the arrest report, per ESPN. “He fell backwards down the stairs and lost consciousness.”
The victim sustained a bloody mouth and multiple missing or broken teeth, according to police.
A woman at the scene who had been helping the victim identified herself as McCollough’s girlfriend. She called him to return to the scene and police said McCollough’s right hand was bloodied and bandaged.
McCollough, a 21-year-old senior from Austell, Ga., was arrested. He was released from jail Monday morning.
A four-year starter, McCollough has 23 tackles in five games this season for the No. 6 Volunteers (5-0, 2-0 SEC).
Head coach Josh Heupel told reporters Monday he did not yet have an update on McCollough’s status.
“We learned of it really late yesterday and as we gather more information I’ll have more for you,” Heupel said.
–Field Level Media
