Louisville CB Tayon Holloway arrested on suspicion of assault and strangulation

This story will be updated.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville redshirt football star Tayon Holloway was arrested Sunday night, according to Louisville Police Department arrest records.

Holloway was charged with fourth-degree assault with minor injury, a misdemeanor, and first-degree strangulation (domestic violence related), a felony.

He was suspended as a cardinal for an indefinite period.

“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of student football player Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As more information becomes available, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

According to the police report obtained, among others, Louisville Cardinals on SIOfficers were dispatched to The Province apartments near the UofL campus around 9 p.m. Sunday night after a 911 call for help following a hang-up call. Although all people inside the apartment were “uncooperative,” they consented to officers’ search.

An officer responding to the scene noted that the victim, referred to as the Holloway girl in the report, had a “laceration to her upper lip” and “swollen eyes, “often associated with crying.” in his room, preparing to smoke marijuana. When she grabbed the marijuana, Holloway “became angry and physical.”

The victim stated that Holloway “knocked her off the bed onto the ground and began punching her in the face with a closed fist.” The victim then grabbed a nearby lamp in an attempt to protect herself, and when that failed, Holloway “took a pillow and put it on her face” for about 10 seconds.

According to the report, after Holloway removed the pillow, he “began throwing it out of the room and began pushing and shoving” it toward the exit of the apartment. At that time, the victim also protected herself with a mirror, which was broken.

The report also indicated that defense attorney Jurriente Davis was a witness. Holloway was arraigned on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. His bond was set at $10,000 and he was ordered to have no contact.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defenseman has been a key part of Louisville’s secondary this season. Holloway, appearing in all 10 games and starting three times, is third on the team in pass breakups with six and also has 16 tackles, including two for a loss and a sack.

Last week at Stanford Stadium, Holloway played an unfortunate role in Louisville’s stunning 38-35 loss. On the first play of Stanford’s final drive, Holloway was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after a short throw with just four seconds left in the game. That, combined with a subsequent offside penalty by Quincy Riley, put Stanford in better position to kick the game-winning 52-yard field goal.

The Virginia Beach, Virginia native joined Louisville in the offseason after spending his first two years of college at North Carolina. After redshirting during his true junior campaign in 2022, Holloway played a total of 10 games and six starts for the Tar Heels in 2023, recording 19 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup.

(Tayon Holloway Photo by Eric Canha – Imagn Images)

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