West Virginia Mountaineers assistant football coach Noel Devine allegedly strangled his girlfriend outside a sports bar and later tried to gain entry to the hospital where she was receiving an evaluation, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Daily Mail.
Devine was booked at a Greenwood, West Virginia, jail at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, as previously reported. He faces one count of strangulation, suffocation or asphyxiation causing bodily injury or loss of consciousness. He was later released on $40,000 bond ahead of a Friday hearing in Morgantown.
Now 38, Devine was once considered one of the nation’s premier football prospects and was mentored by Hall of Famer Deion Sanders during the early 2000s. He starred at West Virginia University from 2007 through 2010, then had a short stint in the Canadian Football League after failing to land in the NFL. In 2025, he returned to his alma mater to begin his coaching career.
WVU placed Devine on leave this week following his arrest over the alleged assault, which is detailed in the newly released criminal complaint.
A Morgantown patrol officer was approached by a woman identified in the complaint as “T.W.,” who said she had been involved in a “domestic situation” with Devine. The pair had been in a relationship for about a year, according to the filing.
T.W. told police that she had ignored numerous calls and text messages from Devine, who allegedly had access to her location through her cellphone, the complaint said.
Online jail records show Noel Devine, 38, was booked at 12:45 p.m. Sunday.
Devine is accused of assaulting the woman in the parking lot outside Kegler’s, a Morgantown bar.
“T.W. stated that Devine told her to come outside, and when she did not do so quick enough he then came inside of Keglers to get her,” the complaint states. “Devine and T.W. walked outside, where T.W stated Devine pushed her up against his vehicle.”
Devine is also accused of strangling T.W. in the back seat of his vehicle.
‘T.W. stated that Devine then got on top of her and put his hands around her neck, while slapping her,’ the complaint continued. ‘This caused T.W. to have difficulty breathing due to the strangulation…’
Despite her attempts to flee, Devine forced her back into the vehicle, according to the complaint. It was only the arrival of her friends in the parking lot that allowed for T.W. to get away from Devine, officers claimed.
‘This is when L.T and other friends exited Kegler’s and heard T.W. screaming for Devine to let her go,’ the complaint continued. ‘When the friends approached the vehicle, T.W. was able to escape and leave with L.T.’
The officer did not observe any markings on the neck of T.W., but did say that is ‘not uncommon’ so soon after an alleged assault.
T.W. told the officer she had discomfort around her chin from the attack, according to the complaint.
Officers have reviewed security footage from the parking lot.
Forth Myers native Noel Devine enrolled at WVU as one of the top recruits in the country
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T.W. ultimately told officers that Devine has threatened to kill her, tried to choke her, has followed or spied on her, and has professed to being jealous in their relationship.
After initially refusing medical attention, T.W. ultimately went to Ruby Memorial Hospital, where Devine is said to have attempted to make contact with her before his arrest.
‘Devine was able to track her location to the hospital where staff then alerted us that he was attempting to enter the hospital,’ read the complaint. ‘Devine was found at the nearby gas station and placed under arrest for Strangulation from the original incident.’
Devine does not have an attorney listed on the court website and he has not returned The Daily Mail’s requests for comment.
A product of Florida’s North Fort Myers High School, which produced Sanders years earlier, Devine was described by ESPN as the ‘next’ big talent at running back as he was being mentored by the Hall of Famer.
In fact, Devine was nearly adopted by Sanders after losing both of his parents to AIDS – his father as an infant and his mother at 11 – and later watching a friend get murdered as a teenager.
Sanders reportedly had the permission of Devine’s grandmother to become his guardian, but another family member who objected to the arrangement phoned 911 to report the legendary NFL cornerback for kidnapping.
‘I am calling for the possible abduction/kidnapping of one Noel Devine,’ the person told the 911 operator, as reported by ESPN in 2010. ‘The person who is kidnapping – and this is not a joke – is Deion Sanders, the one and only, famous Deion Sanders.’
A young Devine is seen speaking with then-WVU quarterback Steve Slayton (right) in 2007
By 17, Devine was already the father of two children, and while Sanders never became the running back’s guardian, the legendary cornerback continued to mentor him.
‘He didn’t have any structure and he wasn’t used to it,’ Sanders told ESPN at the time.
Ultimately Devine’s raw skills were too much to ignore for Rodriguez, who was then in his first stint at WVU and about to take the Michigan Wolverines job.
But despite gaining 4,315 rushing yards over four seasons with the Mountaineers, Devine went unselected in the 2011 NFL Draft. And although he got invited to Philadelphia Eagles training camp, he would ultimately settle for a four-year career in the Canadian Football League.
Devine later returned to his alma mater in January of 2025 as the assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst.
The Mountaineers are currently 2-0 after easy wins over Coastal Carolina and Tennessee-Martin, but will face their first big test of the season on Saturday against No. 25 Virginia.