Shortly after the aggravated robbery and theft charges against Utah cornerback Dominique Hatfield were dropped Thursday, head coach Kyle Whittingham left the door open for the possible return of the junior.
One week after dismissing him from the team for his “off-field behavior,” Whittingham said in a statement that if Hatfield met certain requirements, he could still potentially suit up for the Utes this season.
“We are relieved that Dominique has been exonerated of the charges against him, but that does not necessarily impact the disciplinary actions we imposed due to a violation of team rules,” Whittingham said in a statement. “There is, however, the possibility of future reinstatement to our team if he is able to meet certain expectations we have in place for our student-athletes.”
Hatfield was arrested and charged earlier this month for aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, and theft of stolen property, a misdemeanor, but Salt Lake City prosecutors dropped the case over a lack of evidence. Upon that announcement, Hatfield took to his official Twitter account to express his emotions.
“All the charges have been drop thank god! Just wanna clear my name up.” (@_HattyF)
Hatfield, who became a full-time cornerback during his sophomore year, had 10 starts last season and boasted 38 tackles. He was also one of the leaders of the secondary heading into the 2015 campaign.
@GriffDoug