Tennessee sophomore cornerback Bryce Thompson has been suspended by coach Jeremy Pruitt following a domestic assault arrest over the weekend. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Thompson was arrested on Saturday night and charged with misdemeanor domestic assault.
"Bryce Thompson is suspended indefinitely while the process continues," Pruitt said in a statement Monday morning. "We hold our student-athletes to a high standard. The safety of all students is our first priority here at Tennessee."
University of Tennessee police responded to an incident between Thompson and a woman around 8 p.m. on campus in Stokely Hall. Thompson reportedly threatened the woman and others at the school with violence and when officers arrived, they found him "extremely upset and agitated," with a metal gate unhinged and a wall damaged.
Thompson reportedly told the woman he would "slap the (expletive) out of you." Multiple people told police they heard him threaten to "shoot up the school," according to an arrest warrant.
Thompson and the woman both told police they have been in a relationship for four years. The sophomore cornerback was jailed overnight and released Sunday morning on $3,000 bond. His court date in Knox County is scheduled for Sept. 3.
This is not the first time Thompson has been accused of threatening a woman. According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, a different woman with whom Thompson had a relationship filed a restraining order against him in January 2018 in Richland County, South Carolina. In her complaint, the woman said that Thompson texted her that if she dated another man, he "would kill both me and that other guy." The woman said she believed Thompson because "he has a history of violence against me and others. He has physically slapped me, choked me, and thrown me around. I fear for my safety, and am constantly looking over my shoulder."
The woman and Thompson later agreed to a mutual one-year restraining order in April 2018, about one month before he joined Tennessee's 2018 recruiting class. According to the outlet, it is unclear if Pruitt and Tennessee were aware of the prior restraining order.
The Vols open the 2019 against Georgia State on Aug. 31. Thompson was a breakout star as a freshman in 2018, starting 10 of 12 games and earning freshman All-America honors. He had three interceptions and seven pass break-ups to go with 34 tackles, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble.