College Football

Colorado assistant coach out amid assault allegations

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:34 p.m. ET

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Colorado assistant football coach Joe Tumpkin has resigned at the athletic department's request after his former girlfriend said he repeatedly physically assaulted her.

His resignation is effective Jan. 31 and coach Mike MacIntyre will conduct a quick search for a replacement with spring ball set to begin in less than a month.

Tumpkin, 45, had coached the Buffaloes safeties the last two years. He assumed defensive play-calling duties in the Buffaloes' Alamo Bowl appearance last month after defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt left to join Oregon's staff.

Tumpkin was one of the candidates to replace Leavitt.

On Jan. 6, MacIntyre and athletic director Rick George placed Tumpkin on administrative leave after learning that a judge had issued a temporary restraining order against Tumpkin at the request of his ex-girlfriend. In a complaint filed Dec. 20 in Boulder, she said Tumpkin had physically assaulted her multiple times over the course of their three-year relationship.

The woman, who is from Tumpkin's home state of Michigan, said she would visit Tumpkin in Colorado often. She said the first assault occurred in February 2015 at a hotel in Broomfield and the most recent on Nov. 18, 2016, prompting her to call the police, according to the complaint.

Tumpkin wasn't arrested on any of the allegations and has no criminal record in Colorado, according to court records.

A message left with Tumpkin's lawyer wasn't immediately returned Friday.

''Joe is currently defending himself against allegations made in court records that do not represent our values,'' George said in a statement Friday. ''Furthermore, we need to move forward to ensure we do not have gaps in our coaching staff as we build the team and sign new recruits.''

Spring practices begin Feb. 22 and conclude with the March 18 spring game.

Tumpkin will receive two months of severance pay ($34,000), a payout for unused vacation time ($29,607) and a one-time payment of $15,692 in his final paycheck under the campus' postseason compensation policy.

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