Football: Haywood pleads not guilty

Recently hired — and then fired — football coach Michael Haywood pleaded not guilty to a… Updated 6:33 p.m.Recently hired — and then fired — football coach Michael Haywood pleaded not guilty to a domestic violence charge in a South Bend, Ind., courtroom this afternoon.

Haywood and his attorney, Andre Gammage, could not immediately be reached for comment. The two had a private meeting in Gammage’s office this afternoon, according to a woman working with Gammage.

Haywood was arrested Friday and charged with domestic battery, a felony. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas J. Sanders wrote in court documents that he believes Haywood placed a woman with whom he has a 21-month-old son in a choke hold outside their South Bend home and then threw her backward.

The police report, also filed in court, said that when officers arrived outside the home about 2:30 p.m., the woman and Haywood were separated.

According to the police report, Haywood and the woman were “in the midst of a child custody battle” and had been arguing over child custody and parenting time arrangements. The woman decided to take the child to a relative’s house and placed him in the car.

Officers wrote that they found “dark red marks on [the woman’s] neck and lower face/jaw area, a small raised mark on her back, and redness on her lower right arm.”

The woman told police that Haywood placed her in a choke hold and pushed her backward, while Haywood offered a different account. According to the police report, Haywood told officers that when the woman unlocked her car to get in and drive away, he tried to grab the child, she grabbed his shirt to stop him and he pushed her away with his arm. He said that the woman fell and he then helped her up.

When asked how the woman received the marks on her neck, “He said that when she is upset or angry, her neck, face, and chest turn red. The redness I could see was a result of her emotional state,” according to the police report.

Officers wrote in their report that they believed the marks on the woman’s neck were consistent with her story.

They took Haywood to the St. Joseph County Jail in South Bend, where he remained until he was released on $1,000 bond Saturday. Haywood appeared for his arraignment this afternoon and is scheduled to return to court at 8 a.m. Jan. 11 to set a record and jury trial dates.

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s office warned, “Please be advised that the charges filed against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”

Pitt fired Haywood Saturday afternoon, leaving Pitt searching for its second head coach in a month.

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg released a statement Saturday saying that the University’s decision to fire Haywood did not reflect whether it believes Haywood will be found guilty or not guilty but rather “it reflects a strong belief that moving forward with Mr. Haywood as our head coach is not possible under the existing circumstances.”

Haywood arrived at Pitt Dec. 16 after spending two years as a head coach at Miami University of Ohio. The Red Hawks went 1-11 in this first year at the school and turned around this season by going 9-4.

The Pitt Athletic Department said in a release that it began searching for a new head coach immediately following Haywood’s firing.

Pitt now knows that it will also have to search for at least two assistant coaches as well. Dave Wannstedt, Haywood’s predecessor, confirmed in a news conference today that secondary coach Jeff Hafley will head to Rutgers University. Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. announced this evening that he will also move to Rutgers, working in the same position he did at Pitt.

In another update, athletic director Steve Pederson was noticeably absent during today’s press conference with Wannstedt. The national media has been speculating about his future at the University even though Pitt issued a statement supporting him Saturday. Pederson served as athletic director at Pitt from 1996-2002, when he left to become athletic director at the University of Nebraska, where he had troubles hiring coaches. Pederson returned to Pitt in November 2007, after he was fired from the University of Nebraska.