Ex-Auburn running back Jovon Robinson was accused of domestic violence by a woman at Auburn University on July 16th, and now according to AL.com, the accuser is now saying she made up the story.
The woman’s claim is believed to have been a factor in why Robinson was dismissed from the Auburn football team, and the accuser appears to have lied because Jovon asked her to leave his room.
According to AL.com the accuser said the following:
The accuser, who is a student at Auburn, told AL.com she was coming forward to “clear the air” about what happened between her and Robinson, who she characterized as a friend.
“I was upset with him because he didn’t want me in his room,” the accuser told AL.com. “We were just arguing.”
(I) never reported anything else to anyone. … It was all made up. Nothing happened.”
The accuser repeatedly told AL.com there was no physical violence between her and Robinson, recanted her original claims and vehemently denied sexual violence of any kind took place.
“If it was anything like that I wouldn’t have just went to the school,” she said. “Nothing like that happened.”
AL.com obtained a copy of an e-mail that the accuser sent to Auburn’s coach Gus Malzahn that details the story she made up.
Here is the story the accuser recanted:
According to the accuser’s email, the disagreement between her and Robinson began when he “unintentionally broke my necklace, but proceeded to laugh about it and not apologize.”
After requesting to be brought back to her dorm, to which she said Robinson refused, the young woman watched TV with Robinson in his room, she wrote in the email to Malzahn.
“After about (five) minutes, without being provoked in any way, he frantically gets up and shoves me out the door, not giving me a chance to gather my things before doing so (phone and keys),” the accuser wrote to Malzahn. “In the process to physically throw me out, Jovon managed to smash my head in the door and skin both of my knees on the hallway carpet. I now have two bloody knees, a bruised shoulder, and a knot above my eye.
“Although I have every reason to, I chose to not get the law involved; as I know how nasty things could get; especially for someone in his position. Therefore, I am trying to keep the situation as private as possible. With this being the second or third time an incident of this sort has happened with him, I believe that it is time he be held responsible for the way he has been acting toward not just me, but women in general. Although were [sic] are very close, as I said before, I will make sure to stay away from and not contact him.”
Jovon Robinson denied any wrong doing in the altercation from the very beginning, but was dismissed from the team a few days after the accuser sent the e-mail noted above to Coach Malzahn. Robinson may have already been on thin ice due to prior incidents not related to domestic violence, but this false claim may have been the last straw. After Auburn released a statement explaining that Jovon Robinson was dismissed for a number of reasons, the accuser emailed Coach Malzahn saying she had lied in her initial claim.
Here is an e-mail excerpt from the accuser admitting to Coach Malzahn that she lied:
“I’m not sure if your decision today had anything to do with my situation a few weeks ago, but I just wanted you to know that I made up the entire thing simply because I was upset with Jovon at the time,” the accuser wrote to Malzahn. “I haven’t had any contact with him in the past few weeks but I do not think my lie should have costed him his spot on the team. Please consider changing your mind because I would really hate to see a person with so much potential lose his opportunity because of my silly fib. Jovon didn’t do anything to me that night but ask me to leave his room and I was upset about that.”
Malzahn forwarded the e-mail to Auburn’s Title IX coordinator who was responsible for investigating the claim, but the damage was already done and he was not reinstated. Jovon Robinsion has not decided on what he will do with his remaining year of eligibility. He has the option to turn pro and enter next year’s draft or transfer to another program. There is no word on if the accuser will face any discipline.