Petrino in favor of second chances for some
University of Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino on Thursday explained the program's approach to recruiting players with histories of domestic violence.
The subject has become a headline issue in recent weeks after a string of incidents involving professional football players set off national outrage and a public-relations firestorm for the National Football League.
It came up again this week when a national recruiting service reported on Sunday that three top football programs, including U of L, are vying to sign junior-college defensive tackle Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor, a former four-star high school prospect, was dismissed from the University of Georgia in July following his arrest on a charge of aggravated assault and family violence.
"We evaluate everything on every kid," Petrino said. "You always try to make the best decision for the university. Is it a second-chance opportunity?"
UGA police told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the July incident that evidence and witness accounts showed that Taylor choked and "punched with a closed fist" his girlfriend during a dispute in a campus dormitory.
He was released on $5,000 bail and is currently enrolled at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi.
Taylor told 247Sports.com this week that Auburn, Louisiana State and Louisville are recruiting him, and that U of L defensive coordinator Todd Grantham told him there was a scholarship for him if he wanted it.
"I know I'm a good guy, and I hope I get a second chance to come and play again," Taylor told 247Sports.
"I just feel like everybody has the wrong impression of me right now. I'm not a bad guy. I just have to live with my mistake and own up to it."
In May, Petrino released Class of 2014 signee Sharieff Rhaheed-Muhammad from his national letter of intent after Rhaheed was arrested and charged with lewd behavior with a 14-year-old girl in his Florida hometown.
For now, it's unclear where Taylor's recruiting process stands with U of L.
He visited LSU last week and told 247Sports.com that he'd "probably" visit Auburn this weekend.
This week, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told reporters that there was "no doubt" that his program had a zero-tolerance policy toward players and prospects with a history of domestic violence.
"There's no doubt about that," Malzahn said, according to the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer.
"You don't go there."
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).