Tennessee football suspends players after arrests at Stokely Hall

French Washington Willis The Fulmer Cup

Three Tennessee football players were named in a UT report about an incident in Stokely Hall that occurred Tuesday evening on the Knoxville campus

Tennessee football players Martavius French, Isaac Washington and Aaron Willis were suspended indefinitely Friday after they were arrested this week on preliminary charges related to misdemeanor drug possession.

A fourth player also was suspended indefinitely, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Knox News.

A UT police log released Friday listed five individuals, including French, Washington and Willis, arrested in connection with an incident that occurred Tuesday evening at the Stokely Hall dorm on the Knoxville campus. The log does not provide the date of the arrests.

Also arrested were an unnamed juvenile and Clinton Warren, who is listed in UT’s online directory as a student but is not a member of the football team. Some signees who enrolled in January are not yet 18. Knox News could not confirm the identity of the unnamed juvenile.

“We are aware of an incident that occurred at Stokely Hall involving football student-athletes,” Tennessee Athletics said in a statement. “The individuals involved in the incident have been suspended indefinitely from football activities pending further review of the matter by the university.”

A witness reported to UT police that their roommate answered the door and was assaulted by one male, while three or four other males entered the apartment, went into another room and took items belonging to the individual who had answered the door, according to a UT public safety notice.

The person who had answered the door and the witness said they did not know the people who entered the residence, according to the safety notice issued earlier this week after UT Housing staff notified UTPD on Tuesday about an incident at Stokely Hall.

Willis, from Life Christian Academy in Virginia, is the top-rated member of Tennessee’s 2021 recruiting class. The four-star linebacker enrolled in January.

Washington is a three-star defensive tackle from East Surry High School in North Carolina who also enrolled in January.

French signed in the previous recruiting class as a four-star linebacker recruit from Whitehaven High in Memphis. He did not play during the 2020 season.

Willis was ranked as the No. 8 inside linebacker prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite in the 2021 recruiting class. He’s expected to help boost a position that lost starters Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch to the transfer portal.

Willis, Washington and French signed with Tennessee while Jeremy Pruitt was coach. Tennessee hired Josh Heupel as coach on Jan. 27 after firing Pruitt on Jan. 18, ending his tenure after three seasons.

Source: Tennessee football suspends players after arrests at Stokely Hall

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