Louisville cornerback Tayon Holloway has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities after being charged with first degree strangulation, a Class C felony, and fourth degree assault for dating violence, the school announced via an emailed statement.
The potential penalty for strangulation in the first degree is five to 10 years in prison.
“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the statement read. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”
Holloway was detained Sunday night and arraigned on Monday, pleading not guilty to the charges. His bond was set at $10,000 with a no contact order assigned.
According to the citation, officers were dispatched to an apartment on Shelburne Circle around 9 p.m. Sunday after “a call for service on a 911 hang up.” When the victim called back, they were crying but said they were away from trouble with assistance no longer needed.
Upon arrival to the apartment, the report said the parties inside were uncooperative but agreed to allow officers to search the apartment. When one of the officers made contact with the victim, she had a laceration to her upper lip and puffy eyes, “commonly associated with crying,” the report read.
The victim told the officer that Holloway was about to smoke marijuana in his room when she grabbed it. Holloway got angry, threw the victim off the bed onto the ground and “began to strike her in the face with a closed fist,” the report read. The victim tried to protect herself with a nearby lamp then put a pillow over her face.
Holloway pressed the pillow over her face and nose, according to the report, for what the victim said felt like “a long time, around 10 seconds.” The victim felt like she was going to lose consciousness and began to cry. Holloway then took the pillow off the victim’s face and “began to throw her out of the room and started pushing and shoving her and lifting her towards (the) apartment exit,” the report said. During this time, the victim used a mirror to protect herself, but the mirror broke in the process.
Cardinals linebacker Jurriente Davis was listed as a witness on the citation.
Holloway, a North Carolina transfer, has played in all 10 of the Cardinals’ games this season with four starts. He’s totaled 16 tackles and five pass breakups on the year.
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: DB arrested, charged with strangulation, assault
