University of Tennessee cornerback Michael WilliamsKNOXVILLE -- Two University of Tennessee football players, including star linebacker A.J. Johnson, were suspended Monday from all team-related activities amid an investigation into an alleged sexual assault that occurred in the early-morning hours Sunday.
Johnson, one of the team's captains and the Volunteers' leading tackler, and cornerback Michael Williams are suspects in the rape and sexual assault reported by two 19-year-old women at The Woodlands, an off-campus apartment complex, shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday.
No charges have been filed in the case, and one of the women already has elected not to press charges.
At his weekly news conference early Monday afternoon, Vols coach Butch Jones said he would gather all the necessary information regarding the situation. About four hours later the program announced on its official Twitter account that the two players had been suspended pending the conclusion of the investigation.
"Once we have all that appropriate information," Jones said, "we will act in a very decisive manner, which we have proven over time to do here at the University of Tennessee."
Darrell DeBusk, the Knoxville Police Department's public information officer, told the Times Free Press on Monday afternoon that investigators have been working the case "nonstop" since early Sunday morning.
Once KPD investigators finish interviewing the victims, suspects and any witnesses, they will turn the case over to the district attorney's office.
"At that point," DeBusk said, "they will look at the investigation and the facts that we have in the case, and then they'll make the decision on whether there should be charges filed and what those charges should be."
DeBusk was unsure when the KPD would complete its investigation, but it could be by the middle of the week.
According to a statement from DeBusk, the two women reported their allegations to authorities early Sunday morning. One woman, a Tennessee student, said she was raped by two males, and the second woman told police she was sexually assaulted.
The second woman was visiting from out of state, and she has elected "at this time," the statement said, not to prosecute and returned to Florida.
The KPD conducted a search warrant Sunday night of the apartment at The Woodlands.
University of Tennessee linebacker A. J. JohnsonThe 6-foot-3, 245-pound Johnson is a senior who is one of the most well-liked players on the team by fans and teammates. He was set to play the final home game of his career when Tennessee hosts Missouri at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
The Vols are a win away from the program's first bowl berth since 2010, while the visiting Tigers need wins at Tennessee and against Arkansas to reach the SEC championship game.
In Saturday's 50-16 rout of Kentucky, Johnson became the first Tennessee player in nearly 40 years to have three consecutive 100-tackle seasons. He has the second-most career tackles in program history.
The 5-11, 177-pound Williams, a walk-on from Maryland who also is on Tennessee's track team, has started five games this season, but he has recently been passed by freshman Emmanuel Moseley, who started against Kentucky.
In September, Jones dismissed freshman running back Treyvon Paulk from the program after he was involved in a domestic assault incident during the team's open weekend.
"The thing I want to do is I want to be right rather than fast," the coach said.
"I think we've proven since we've been here," Jones added, "that we're always going to act accordingly and we're going to act swiftly."
Jones also discussed how he would handle addressing the situation with his team.
"Every situation that occurs, just like in life, I treat it as a teaching opportunity, a teaching moment," he explained. "We spend an inordinate amount of time in that in our Vol for Life program, our character education program, all that. We'll discuss it, but it'll be business as usual.
"I'm not into speculation, but we talk about instances all the time, and it'll just be another point of contention, another point for emphasis, which it is all the time in our football program. We have a lot on the line. We're representing the state of Tennessee, Vol Nation, the city of Knoxville, our student body, our fan base, our boosters, our alumni.
"We have a lot of positive momentum and energy right now, and we can't let that derail us."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.