NFL draft prospect Jourdan Lewis pleads not guilty in domestic violence case

All-American cornerback and 2017 NFL draft prospect Jourdan Lewis has been charged with assaulting his 20-year-old girlfriend, Nikole Miller, early Wednesday morning, according to MLive.com.

In an arraignment on Thursday, he pleaded not guilty:

Ann Arbor police Detective Lt. Matthew Lige told MLive that officers were called to Lewis’ residence 1 a.m. ET Wednesday morning after the cornerback’s girlfriend called and said there was a physical altercation. Officers on the scene said it wasn’t clear “if there was an assault or who the aggressor was,” but after an investigation Lewis was charged with misdemeanor assault.

According to the police report, which was obtained by The Detroit News, the confrontation began with an argument over Lewis falling asleep with the lights on centered around who is responsible for paying the bills. Lewis admitted to police that he threw pillows at her “pretty hard,” though said he did not intend to harm her.

Miller asserts that Lewis pushed her to the ground by her throat. Lewis says that Miller grabbed onto his leg in an attempt to prevent him from leaving. Miller also said that Lewis stepped on her hair at one point, though told police she did not know how she ended up on the floor.

There were no visible injuries to Miller’s neck, and she did ask for or receive medical attention. She did have a scratch on her nose and on her hand, according to the police report.

The police report indicates that law enforcement had been previously called to the residence for a “domestic incident” on May 5, 2015.

Lewis, 21, was a two-time All-American at Michigan and earned the Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year in 2016. He is considered to be a mid-round prospect in the 2017 NFL draft, but has been projected as high as the first round.

Lewis was a participant at the NFL Combine and is a week away from the Michigan Pro Day scheduled for Thursday, March 24.