Kim Stephens, the attorney representing Jonathan Taylor on two cases pending before the Athens-Clarke County courts, said the University of Alabama should reinstate his client based on the latest developments in the case against him in Tuscaloosa.
Taylor, a junior defensive tackle for the Crimson Tide was charged with two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence in Tuscaloosa this past Saturday. He was dismissed from the team on Monday.
But the 24-year-old woman who claims to be Taylor's girlfriend recanted her statement to police on Wednesday and has been charged with making a false report to law enforcement. Therefore, Stephens said, Taylor should be back on the team.
“He should be reinstated if fairness comes into play since his situation is no different today than it was in January when they accepted him, other than an acknowledged false accusation being made against him,” Stephens said in a text message exchange.
That said, Stephens doesn’t believe Taylor will be welcomed back to the Crimson Tide.
“I would be surprised in light of the backlash Alabama and (coach Nick) Saban took,” he said.
Either way, the woman's recantation helps Stephens. He is representing Taylor on two cases in Athens. The former Georgia dfensive tackle faces a felony charge of aggravated assault/family violence stemming from an incident involving his girlfriend that took place on the UGA campus in 2014. He also is charged with theft by deception in a separate case. Taylor was terminated from a pretrial diversion program in the theft case as a result of the family violence charge last summer. He was subsequently dismissed from UGA by coach Mark Richt summer.
Stephens is a former Georgia football player who has represented several UGA athletes in felony and misdemeanor cases over the years. When first asked Sunday about his client being arrested on domestic violence charges in Alabama, Stephens said, "My hope is that the accusations in Tuscaloosa aren't true."
