Tennessee dismisses Emmit Gooden after domestic assault charges
By Emily Adams
The former Last Chance U star was arrested for felony aggravated domestic assault.
Defensive lineman Emmit Gooden was dismissed by the University of Tennessee football team after he was arrested for felony domestic assault on the morning of July 16. Gooden is accused of hitting his girlfriend in the head with a glass candle jar during an argument. She needed sutures for lacerations to her face according to Gooden’s arrest warrant.
Gooden, a rising senior, was projected to be a key player for the Vols’ defense this season, which makes their dismissal of the lineman even more meaningful. The NFL has long been criticized for protecting domestic abusers in the league, and college football programs like Baylor University have been riddled with scandals of covering up sexual harassment and assault for years. Tennessee took decisive action in letting Gooden go less than 24 hours after his arrest, and that’s a step in the right direction.
BREAKING: The University of Tennessee football program has dismissed redshirt senior defensive lineman Emmit Gooden after he was arrested on Thursday for felony domestic assault. https://t.co/NqUcE6Iy3F
— Louis Fernandez Jr (@LouFernandezJr) July 17, 2020
Gooden is best known for his appearance on the third season of the Netflix series, Last Chance U, while he was playing junior college football at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas. He saw the field for Tennessee a handful of times as a reserve in 2018 and missed the 2019 season after a season-ending knee injury. Now his career with the Vols is over before it ever truly began.
Gooden is the second member of the Tennessee football program to be dismissed after an arrest according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. Running back Tim Jordan was arrested back in June for much less serious charges: carrying a concealed weapon and a small amount of marijuana. He pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge and will not serve any prison time. Gooden, on the other hand, could be faced with up to 15 years.
Emmit Gooden was a starter and a huge part of this year's #Vols team. But if you don't respect women, you don't deserve to be a free man. If the felony domestic assault stuff is true, lock him up.
— Brad Shepard (@Brad_Shepard) July 17, 2020
Even without Gooden, the Vols’ entire defensive line is returning from last season. They don’t have any major top-tier talents, but they shouldn’t have too many problems filling the spot that Gooden was expected to fill. No matter what, it’s better to have a weaker team if that team doesn’t include a player charged with hitting his girlfriend.