University of Utah defensive tackle Jamal Wallace has been placed on an indefinite suspension from the football program after his arrest earlier in October on an allegation that he distributed an intimate image. Wallace was booked on Oct. 11 on a Class A misdemeanor count, and he was released from jail after posting $5,000 bail. He had not been formally charged as of Wednesday evening.
According to Deseret News, Wallace was arrested for the alleged distribution of an intimate image, and the University of Utah said it learned of the situation on Oct. 11 and immediately placed him on indefinite suspension. A university athletics spokesperson said the school takes the matter seriously but declined further comment because it remains a pending legal matter, per the The Salt Lake Tribune.
What the Affidavit Alleges
A probable-cause affidavit describes a woman — identified as Wallace’s on-again, off-again dating partner — alleging that Wallace recorded a video of himself raping her using her own phone and then sent it to five people she had been talking to on Snapchat, according to abc4.com. The report notes there are no charges related to the rape allegation. The same outlet reports Wallace had only been arrested on the distribution counts and had not been formally charged at the time of its report.
Wallace denied forcible sodomy, rape and distributing the intimate images during a police interview, the affidavit states, as reported by Deseret News. The station’s report does not resolve how the competing accounts will be sorted out in court, and the case was still pending as of the most recent reporting.
A Short Run on the Field
Wallace transferred to Utah from Tennessee in January and appeared in one game this season before the suspension, per the same account from Deseret News. Before arriving in Salt Lake City, Wallace had moved from the junior-college ranks at Sierra College in Northern California to Tennessee, according to on3.com. At Tennessee, he recorded seven tackles in nine games over his final two seasons there, the outlet reported.
The Statute Involved
Utah Code section 76-5b-203, titled Distribution of an intimate image — Penalty, is the provision cited in connection with the misdemeanor count, according to the Utah Legislature. That statute defines an intimate image to include a visual depiction, photograph, film, video, recording, picture, or computer-generated image, per the legislature’s published code.
The university has not said how long Wallace’s suspension will last or whether he could eventually return to the team. For now, his status with the Utes remains on hold while the legal process plays out.
