By Ben Everett | Sports Writer
Baylor football senior defensive back Travon Blanchard has been suspended indefinitely following a protective order that was issued Tuesday accusing Blanchard of multiple acts of violence against his ex-girlfriend.
The order was applied for on behalf of the woman by the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office earlier this month and was signed off by a judge on Tuesday, according to KWTX.
“The Baylor Athletics Department is aware of a complaint made against Travon Blanchard through the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office,” David Kaye, Baylor Director of Athletic Communications wrote in an email to the Lariat. “Immediately upon notification on Feb. 7, the appropriate campus student-conduct process was initiated and Blanchard was suspended indefinitely from all team related activities, pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Following the issuance of the order, Blanchard hired Waco attorney Michelle Tuegel, who released a brief statement Wednesday regarding the case.
“We are investigating the allegations made against Travon Blanchard by his ex-girlfriend,” Tuegel wrote in an email to the Lariat. “It is important that people not rush to judgment in this situation. Travon is hopeful that this matter will be resolved and that he will have the opportunity to move forward as a student and as an athlete.”
The order restricts Blanchard from having any communication with the woman and orders him to stay away from her residence, according to KWTX.
KWTX also obtained a copy of the affidavit filed in support of the order.
On Feb. 4, according to the affidavit, Blanchard became upset when a waiter approached the woman at a restaurant and asked whether they knew each other.
Blanchard verbally abused the applicant and followed her as she attempted to leave, according to the affidavit.
He grabbed her hand in an attempt to take her car keys and broke her finger, cutting the finger “to the point where she was unable to have it stitched,” the affidavit says.
In another event described in the affidavit, on July 4, 2016, Blanchard became upset after the woman was having fun with some of her friends.
Blanchard “rushed the applicant, grabbed her by her wrists, began swearing and insulting her, and attempted to force himself and the applicant into her apartment,” the affidavit says.
Her friends attempted to help, but Blanchard became violent, and police were called, according to the affidavit.
He continued to force her inside of her apartment in front of police, and let go only when “the police threatened him with an arrest for insubordination,” the affidavit says.
The affidavit also claims Blanchard “controls many aspects of the applicant’s life,” including what she can wear, who she talks to and what she posts on social media.
Blanchard was returning to the Bears for his senior season as a two-year starter while earning All-Big 12 honors in his junior season.
