ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Atlanta Falcons fired assistant coach LaTroy Lewis on Friday after the Ann Arbor Police Department confirmed an investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving Lewis that occurred in 2024 when he was a staffer at Michigan.
The assault accusations were first made public on social media on Thursday night by reporter Justin Spiro.
“The Ann Arbor Police Department was just recently made aware of allegations regarding a sexual assault reported to have occurred on December 5, 2024,” strategic communications manager Chris Page wrote in an email to The Athletic. “The AAPD Detective Bureau launched an immediate investigation into the incident. This investigation remains active and ongoing.”
The initial statement did not identify a suspect, but Page later confirmed that Lewis is the suspect in the investigation.
The Falcons fired Lewis as assistant defensive line coach hours after they issued a statement saying they were aware of allegations involving Lewis and were “in the process of gathering information.”
A court clerk confirmed to The Athletic that a personal protective order case involving Lewis has been initiated in Washtenaw County 22nd Circuit Court, but no documents were available and the order had not yet been granted.
Police in Milford, Mich., responded to a separate incident involving Lewis and the same woman who initiated the protective order in January 2025. According to an incident report obtained by The Athletic, police responded to reports of a loud argument but closed the case due to a lack of evidence to support criminal charges.
Lewis was at Michigan from 2022 until early 2025, first as a graduate assistant and then as assistant defensive line coach. The alleged sexual assault occurred near the end of the 2024 football season, shortly before Lewis was hired as the defensive line coach at Toledo. Lewis was hired on Feb. 10 by the Falcons.
Allegations involving Lewis add to the turmoil already surrounding Michigan’s football program. Michigan fired head coach Sherrone Moore for cause in December, citing credible evidence that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore was taken into police custody later that day and faces charges of third-degree home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.
In a statement, Michigan spokesman Paul Corliss called the allegations involving Lewis “deeply concerning” and urged anyone with relevant information to contact Jenner & Block, the law firm conducting an independent investigation of Moore’s tenure as coach and the culture and practices of Michigan’s athletic department.
“The work is ongoing, and we will be able to share more when it is completed,” Corliss said.