Report: Suspended ASU player Davon Durant's girlfriend says she 'lied to police'

This story was originally published on March 16.

Arizona State opened spring practice Monday without the highest-rated defensive player of its 2015 recruiting class.

Davon Durant – a five-star junior-college prospect – has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest on allegations of domestic violence and aggravated assault. ASU has removed the linebacker from the spring roster and will not permit him to participate in any team activities.

Late Monday, ESPN.com writer Kyle Bonagura posted an article with quotes from a woman identified as Kelsi Langley, who says she is Durant's girlfriend. Langley told Bonagura that she "lied to the police" about the assault.

In the ESPN story, Langley said she was mad and deliberately called attention to their argument at an apartment complex.

Tempe police say Durant was arrested March 7 when officers were called to the scene after witnesses reported a man had struck a woman while they sat in a black SUV.

Durant told an officer he was arguing with his girlfriend in the car. According to the report, Durant's girlfriend told police that the linebacker hit her in the face once and grabbed her around her neck.

The responding officer reported that Durant's girlfriend had visible injuries, including a bruise below her left eye and bruising around her neck that was consistent with finger marks.

Durant was taken into custody and transported to the Tempe city jail.

According to ESPN, Langley went to police the following day and recanted the story.

According to Maricopa County Superior Court, Durant is facing charges of disorderly conduct and aggravated assault with a preliminary hearing Wednesday. Despite the suspension, the linebacker remains in school.

"If a guy gets arrested, they understand they're going to be suspended,'' ASU coach Todd Graham said. "Our standards are the highest. They're a lot higher than just about anybody around and there's accountability for those standards. If you're going to come forward and make the stance that we do when it comes to character and respect, obviously, that's something that's very, very important to us. But also we owe it to our guys to let the (legal) process play itself out."

ASU's spring practice runs through April 10.

After Monday's opening practice, Graham would not get into the specifics of Durant's situation, but expressed disappointment. In an interview two weeks ago, defensive coordinator Keith Patterson said Durant was one of the players he most wanted to see on the practice field, just to see what he could do. At times last season, ASU's defense struggled because it lacked a player who possessed the explosiveness needed to play the "Devil-backer" position. Durant was expected to fill that role.

Durant (6-foot-2, 240 pounds) had high credentials coming out of Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. Scout.com listed him as a five-star recruit – the first to sign with the Sun Devils under Graham – and as the nation's No. 4 overall junior-college recruit. Durant enrolled at ASU in January, which allowed him to practice with the Sun Devils over the spring.

In addition to his arrest, Durant may face disciplinary action from violating ASU's Student Code of Conduct.

"Obviously, it's disappointing anytime you have something like that happen because we work so hard and we have so many people that are representing the team the right way,'' Graham said, later adding: "That doesn't happen around here. That's not the norm and it's something, obviously, we don't tolerate."

With Durant out, redshirt freshman Ismael Murphy-Richardson worked with the first team at the Devilbacker position.