Tennessee senior defensive lineman Emmit Gooden has been dismissed from the program after being arrested Thursday on a charge of felony domestic assault.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Gooden missed last season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in August. He was expected to challenge for a starting role this year.
Knoxville's WBIR-TV was the first to report Gooden's arrest. Citing court records, WBIR reported Gooden smashed a glass jar candle into the left side of the female victim's head and that she was taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she received sutures.
Gooden played at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee, before starting his college career at Independence (Kansas) Community College, where he was featured on the Netflix series "Last Chance U." He was an NJCAA second-team All-American in 2017, when he amassed 81 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
After signing with Tennessee, Gooden tallied 33 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a sack for the 2018 Volunteers. His first career start occurred in the 2018 season finale at Vanderbilt.
Gooden is the second Tennessee player to be arrested and dismissed this summer, with the first senior running back Tim Jordan, who was arrested in Florida on drug and gun charges in late May.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.