Noel Devine, West Virginia University's all-time leader in career all-purpose yards and now an assistant coach on Rich Rodriguez's staff, was booked into jail on a felony strangulation charge after Morgantown police arrested him on Sunday in connection with an alleged attack in the 400 block of North High Street Saturday. The 38-year-old entered a not guilty plea and was ordered held in lieu of $40,000 bail at the North Central Regional Jail, according to CBS News Pittsburgh, which cited jail and court records.
A Monongalia County criminal complaint alleges Devine tracked his live-in girlfriend's phone location to Kegler's Sports Bar after repeatedly trying to reach her, arriving at the bar where she was out with friends, according to WV MetroNews. The complaint, as relayed by BroBible, states Devine allegedly pushed the woman against his vehicle outside the bar, forced her into the back seat, got on top of her, and slapped and strangled her; bystanders reportedly approached after hearing screaming, allowing her to break free.
Surveillance Video and Hospital Visit Cited in Complaint
Morgantown police officers reviewed the bar's surveillance footage and said it corroborated key details of the woman's account, per the same report. The woman later sought treatment at Ruby Memorial Hospital for severe headaches and vomiting, symptoms police noted are clinically associated with strangulation.
Devine faces a preliminary hearing on September 23. Jail records did not indicate whether he has retained an attorney who could comment on the charges, and Monongalia County magistrate court records did not provide additional details beyond the arrest itself.
A Felony With No Requirement to Show Visible Injury
Under West Virginia Code § 61-2-9D, a felony strangulation conviction carries a penalty of one to five years in a state correctional facility, a fine of up to $2,500, or both, according to FindLaw. The statute defines strangulation as knowingly restricting another person's air intake or blood flow without consent. West Virginia created the standalone felony in 2016 under House Bill 4362, removing earlier legal requirements that prosecutors prove visible physical trauma or intent to kill to bring the charge, according to WV MetroNews' 2016 reporting on the law's passage — advocates at the time noted strangulation is a key indicator of fatal domestic violence risk.
One of the Most Celebrated Names in Mountaineer Football
Devine is not a peripheral figure in WVU athletics. He remains the program's all-time leader in career all-purpose yards with 5,761, has more than 4,300 rushing yards and ranks third in program history, and was a three-year starter at running back for the Mountaineers from 2007 through 2010, per CBS News Pittsburgh. He topped 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of those four seasons and compiled 19 100-yard rushing games. He was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame on October 30, 2021, a decade after his playing career ended, according to his Wikipedia entry.
After going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, Devine briefly signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, played in the Canadian Football League, and later led the West Virginia Roughriders to an arena league championship in 2019, before running a private speed-training business and eventually returning to college coaching, per the same entry.
Rodriguez Rehired Devine, Whose Son Plays for WVU
Rodriguez, who coached Devine at WVU, brought him back to Morgantown in January 2025 as an offensive analyst and assistant running backs coach during Rodriguez's second stint leading the program, according to Hail WV. Rodriguez said any future decision on Devine's employment status will be determined once more information becomes available, according to CBS News Pittsburgh. Devine has been placed on leave from the team.
Devine's son, Andre Devine, is a running back in his third collegiate season, adding a personal dimension to the situation inside the program, according to Sports Illustrated. Andre Devine transferred into WVU about a week into the previous fall camp and did not see the field.
The arrest and its fallout come as West Virginia opened the season 2-0, having beaten UT Martin 52-7 Saturday in Morgantown, per CBS News Pittsburgh. The Mountaineers are scheduled to play No. 25 Virginia, also 2-0, in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday night.
