Falcons dismiss assistant coach LaTroy Lewis amid police probe into Michigan-linked allegations
LaTroy Lewis' time as a member of the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff lasted less than a month. The team dismissed him Friday after sexual assault allegations surfaced.
The allegations are tied to a December 2024 hotel incident during Lewis’ time with the Michigan football coaching staff. The Falcons released a statement Friday saying the organization was aware of the claims made against the team's former assistant defensive line coach.
"We are aware of allegations regarding LaTroy Lewis," the Falcons said. "We are in the process of gathering information and will have no further comment at this time."
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In a statement obtained by ESPN, Michigan spokesperson Paul Corliss called the allegations "deeply concerning."
Attorney Fabiola A. Galguera said Lewis "intends to fiercely fight these false allegations with the support of his wife, family and my team."
Fox News Digital was unable to reach Lewis for comment.
Lewis served as a graduate assistant at Michigan in 2022 and was promoted to assistant defensive line coach for the next two seasons.
"The Ann Arbor Police Department was just recently made aware of allegations regarding a sexual assault reported to have occurred on December 5, 2024," an Ann Arbor Police spokesman said in a statement. "The suspect in this investigation is LaTroy Lewis.
"The AAPD Detective Bureau launched an immediate investigation into the incident. This investigation remains active and ongoing."
Karen Truszkowski, the attorney for the woman accusing Lewis of sexual assault, said her client filed an incident report with Ann Arbor police and requested a protective order against Lewis.
The woman and Lewis connected on a dating app in July 2024, and she claims his behavior became aggressive via text message and phone calls, according to Truszkowski. They met for the first time at an Ann Arbor hotel in December 2024, when she told police Lewis raped her, according to Truszkowski.
The Milford Police Department in Michigan responded the next month to a 911 call from the woman's neighbors, who heard raised voices, according to Truszkowski. The attorney said her client and Lewis told the police that their argument was not physical.
Truszkowski said her client told Milford police that Lewis was an assistant defensive line coach at Michigan, saying she didn't want to talk about it. She was hesitant to tell the police at the time that Lewis had physically abused her, according to Truszkowski.
Fox News Digital contacted the Ann Arbor Police to obtain the police report and protection order tied to the allegations against Lewis.
Lewis coached under former Michigan coaches Sherrone Moore and Jim Harbaugh. Moore was fired in December after allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and being charged with three crimes, including felony home invasion and stalking.
The woman who accused Lewis reportedly shared details of the incident with Moore, according to her attorney. However, Truszkowski said Moore ultimately chose not to report Lewis and instead sent her client lewd, sexually explicit text messages.
Moore's attorney denied the claims.
"Sherrone Moore did not fail to report misconduct, did not reward wrongdoing and did not harass anyone," Moore's lawyer, Ellen K. Michaels, said in a statement to ESPN. "These claims are false."
"As we have noted, the university launched an investigation of the circumstances and conduct leading to Sherrone Moore’s firing as well as a broader culture review of the athletic department," Corliss said in a statement.
"We continue to urge anyone with relevant information to reach out to the law firm conducting the investigation.
Lewis played linebacker at Tennessee before signing with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and appearing in the preseason. He later spent time with the Texans and Titans and coached at Toledo last season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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