Utah defensive tackle Jamal Wallace has been suspended indefinitely from the football program after his arrest last week in a case tied to allegations that he shared sexually explicit videos without the woman’s consent.
A Utah athletics spokesperson confirmed the suspension and said the school was first made aware of the situation on Oct. 11. Wallace was released from jail after posting $5,000 bail and has not been formally charged as of Wednesday evening.
“We were made aware of the situation with Jamal Wallace on Oct. 11, and he was immediately placed on an indefinite suspension from the program,” the Utah athletics spokesperson said. “We take these matters seriously. As this is a pending legal matter we have no further comment at this time.”
According to an arrest document, Wallace was not taken into custody on suspicion of sexual assault, but on allegations of distributing intimate images, which are misdemeanor counts. During a police interview, he denied sexually assaulting the woman, but allegedly told an officer he had gone into her Snapchat account to see who she had been talking to.
The woman reported to Salt Lake City police that Wallace was her “off-and-on dating partner,” and said she met him on Oct. 9 to talk about their relationship, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune. She alleged that Wallace instead forced her to engage in various sex acts. At one point, she said, he grabbed her phone and told her he wanted to change the music that was playing.
After Wallace left, the woman told police she realized he had allegedly recorded a video of himself having sex with her on her phone and sent it to five people she had been messaging on Snapchat.
After seeing the videos, the probable cause affidavit says, the woman told police she felt “confused and disgusting,” and she underwent a sexual assault examination.
An officer wrote that Wallace said he became upset after looking through the woman’s Snapchat messages and seeing that she had been messaging other men. The officer also wrote that he found “two sexually explicit videos involving himself and the victim.”
Wallace transferred to Utah from Tennessee this offseason and appeared in one game this season before the suspension.
In Other News...
Utahs New Standard Showed Up When Oregon Tried To Pull Away
The Huntsman Center had the feel of a place where Utah could reset the tone of its season, and the Utes did exactly that against Oregon. After falling behind at halftime, Utah steadied itself and leaned into a better second-half rhythm, getting more efficient shots and turning that into transition scoring as the game tightened late. The result was an 81-77 overtime win that gave the Utes a hard-earned comeback they can point to as a marker for where this group is trying to go.
Utah did not flip the game with one clean surge so much as by surviving the pressure moments and sticking with it long enough for the momentum to turn. The Utes found support across the rotation, with Malek Gomma providing a major lift after the break, and the finishing stretch became a test of poise as Oregon tried to keep control. In a game like this, the details matter, and Utahs next step will be proving it can make this standard feel less like one strong night and more like the baseline. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Heads Into Oklahoma State With A Growing Injury Problem
Colorados injury report keeps getting longer at exactly the wrong time, with the Buffaloes headed into their Week 8 matchup against Oklahoma State already dealing with a series of roster concerns. Running back Micah Welch and offensive lineman Jayven Richardson were the latest additions, adding more strain to a team trying to steady itself before another Big 12 test.
Deion Sanders has already said Welchs situation is serious enough to warrant close attention, while Danny Scuderos availability has become a major concern as the season moves on. There is at least some movement in the other direction, with Sam Gadie showing up on the report as he works toward a possible return, and Lamont Lesters reduced role being tied to a full recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Utah's Undefeated Start Faces A Sloppy Reality Check Saturday
Utahs unbeaten start has kept the Utes in the thick of the Big 12 picture, but Saturday brings a different kind of test than the ones that padded the early record. Houston arrives with the kind of athletic, disruptive roster that can expose the mistakes Utah has mostly been able to survive so far, and the matchup also puts Kyle Whittingham against a coach in Willie Fritz who has already shown he can make a team uncomfortable in a hurry.
For Utah, the issue is less about pedigree than about how cleanly it can function against a sharper opponent. The Utes have been sturdy enough to stay perfect, but the sloppier stretches in recent weeks suggest there is room for a reality check, especially against a Houston team that has already seen the kind of tight, tense games that reveal what a group really is. Saturday should say plenty about whether Utahs start is sustainable or simply still waiting for a tougher truth. [Read more 🡒]