A player with off-the-field issues in Knoxville has landed, ironically enough, at a school coached by a man who doesn’t put up with off-field foolishness.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Ryan Thaxton (pictured, right) “has been cleared to join USF and is expected to begin participating in preseason camp in mid-August.” Charlie Strong‘s first practice of summer camp is scheduled for this coming Friday.
Thaxton was initially suspended and then dismissed from the Tennessee football team in late July of last year. The punitive measures came a little over a week after the defensive end was arrested July 15 by university police officers and charged with domestic assault and false imprisonment in connection to an incident involving his girlfriend.
Based on police reports, Thaxton was accused of pushing his girlfriend toward his dorm room when she refused to follow him. Thaxton then reportedly carried the woman to his dorm room and blocked the door so she could not leave as an argument continued inside the room.
Thaxton pleaded guilty in October to one count of false imprisonment. The Knoxville News Sentinel wrote at the time that “Thaxton’s guilty plea was deferred, and the false imprisonment charge will be dismissed if he pays court costs, attends anger management classes, and stays out of trouble for 11 months and 29 days.”
Thaxton was a three-star member of the Volunteer’s 2017 recruiting class, rated as the No. 38 strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 23 player at any position in the state of Virginia. He took a redshirt his true freshman season.
