J.D. Jones, a 20-year-old defensive tackle at Middle Tennessee State University is facing multiple counts of assault after choking his girlfriend, Ronni Cantrell, while two of his teammates filmed the incident.
Jones, listed at six feet, two inches and 322 lbs. is reportedly on film choking Cantrell, who stands at a slight five feet, three inches and 115 lbs., while defensive back Rodney O'Neal and fellow defensive tackle Marcus Robinson not only taped the assault, but laughed as it happened.
Cantrell has come forward with other incidents of abuse dating all the way back to 2012. She claims Jones has put her in headlocks, and once hit her forcefully in the back and on her legs with a "pink, baseball-type bat" until she forked over money for him to buy marijuana.
MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill is handling the situation with caution, saying, "We will react accordingly after gathering all pertinent information." The videotape is in police possession, and will not be made public until it is submitted in court.
According to police, the video depicts Jones choking Cantrell "from the front using one hand and then again choking her from behind using his arm. The victim repeatedly asks him to stop but he and the others mock her as he continues to choke her while the other suspects narrate the video and say multiple times that 'this' happens all the time or every day."
In a Daily News Journal article, Cantrell goes into detail about the abuse she suffered while dating Jones. She accused Jones of once grabbing her from under an elevated bed and dragging her out of a room, resulting in minor injuries and a broken fingernail.
The second incident is the one caught on tape, while the third, involving the pink bat, is fleshed out. Jones wanted Cantrell to provide money to buy drugs; after Cantrell refused she was put in a headlock until she said she would give him money. She refused two more times, resulting in being hit with the bat and choked again, only to be released by the massive lineman after she kicked him in the groin.
As she left he then allegedly hurled a football that hit her in the face, knocking her to the floor. According to Cantrell, the same people heard in the video were present for the third instance of violence.
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