One of the Vols’ up-and-coming offensive linemen may soon be back on the practice field.
Felony theft charges against sophomore center/tackle Coleman Thomas were dropped Wednesday morning, according to Jimmy Hyams of WNML-FM in Knoxville, and Thomas is expected to be reinstated shortly. Some more details from Hyams:
Felony theft charges against Vols frosh OL Coleman Thomas were dismissed in court this AM. He is expected to be reinstated to the team soon
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) April 15, 2015
Thomas was charged Mar. 25 with selling stolen property to pawn shop. Was banned from team activities. Said he didn’t know items were stolen
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) April 15, 2015
2 former Vol FB players were involved in Thomas incident. Neither has been charged yet. We will not ID them until/unless they are charged
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) April 15, 2015
Thomas was accused in early April of selling a stolen Xbox system along with games, valued between $500-$1000, at a local gaming store. He’s been away from the team since that time with coach Butch Jones saying it would be a “day-by-day” process over the course of the past few weeks.
The 6-foot-6, 308-pound native of Max Meadows, Va., appeared in 11 games as a true freshman last year, earning five starts at right tackle. He was getting reps at both center and right tackle this spring before the incident.
Thomas’ legal representation team, the Bosch Law Firm, confirmed that the charges had been dropped via a press release on Wednesday as well, adding the following statements:
“It appears that a rush to judgement was made charging Coleman Thomas with this offense. Mr. Thomas did not commit any crime, and was unaware that the Xbox and three video games in question had been stolen. He fully cooperated from the first minute he was notified by law enforcement, and it was unfortunate that such a hasty decision to charge Mr. Thomas was made solely by the University of Tennessee Police Department.
“We are appreciative of the effort of that the Knox County District Attorney’s office has made in likewise determining Mr. Thomas’s actual innocence. We look forward to Coleman doing great things in his future now that this issue is behind him.”
