Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said Monday that he will not suspend safety Jalen Johnson after the player was arrested Sunday on a charge of simple battery.
“I think I would urge everybody to let all the facts come in and let the investigation unfold and then we’ll make an appropriate statement and an appropriate action,” Johnson said Monday following the team’s practice. “But guys are innocent until proven guilty. Just because it happened doesn’t mean they’re always guilty, so let’s let the facts play out.”
Johnson said that “we’ve talked to several people” and gave indication that his decision to not take immediate action was not based solely on the principle of presumption of innocence.
“Now, if this was a slam dunk, and we knew what happened, then you act, but you wait and find out all the facts and act accordingly,” he said.
He later added, “I’m not sure this is going to be an issue when it all plays out.”
Jalen Johnson was arrested by Georgia Tech campus police early Sunday following the Yellow Jackets’ win over Duke on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Georgia code of law defines simple battery as a person who “intentionally makes physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature” with another person or “intentionally causes physical harm to another.”
Tech plays at North Carolina Saturday. Johnson is a backup who primarily contributes on special teams.
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