Update: The domestic assault charge against Tennessee wide receiver Josh Smith will be dropped, thus ending one of the stranger offseason off-field stories. Smith must complete 40 hours of community service and pay $334.25 in court fees as part of the plea agreement.
Smith was arrested last month after getting into a fight with roommate and longtime friend, Kennedy Foster.
Original story
A roommate for Tennessee wide receiver Josh Smith is seeking $875,000 in compensatory and punitive damages as part of a $3 million civil lawsuit following an alleged fight that happened on Cinco de Mayo, according to a report from Jimmy Hymas of WNML. The settlement is being demanded by Kennedy Foster, a childhood friend who was Smith's roommate.
Smith was arrested and charged with domestic violence at the UT Medical Center on May 6 after a fight broke out on May 5 among Smith, Foster and another roommate, Malcolm Stokes. Per a police report, the roommates had been drinking on May 5. Foster reportedly went into the bathroom, and Smith kicked down the door after trying to check on his roommate. The roommates then began to fight.
Smith was arrested as the primary aggressor in the fight and claimed it was "all my fault." Foster suffered a broken nose and broken teeth as well as damage to his right ear and one of his eyes after Smith allegedly kicked him in the face multiple times, according to Foster's attorney.
However, the Smith family is disputing the facts of the alleged incident.
"I'm not accusing [Foster] of extortion, but that's what it looks like,'' Keith Stewart, the Smith family attorney, told WNML. "Given my understanding that Mr. Foster's attempts to press charges against Malcolm Stokes were unsuccessful, it seems his motives are clear.''
WNML also reports that "Foster's parents, Jerry and Joey, visited the home of Butch Smith, apparently seeking a 'job for life.'"
247Sports reports that Smith appeared before the UT Student Code of Conduct board but no verdict has been reached. It's also not clear what disciplinary action Smith will face from coach Butch Jones, if any.
Smith caugh 13 passes for 97 yards and a score in 2016.