Sports2 min
Maryland's Dontay Joyner ejected two minutes into Purdue game after scuffle
The senior defensive back's return from a five-game suspension hit another snag when a first-drive personal foul sent him to the sideline, where he spiked his helmet.
Maryland defensive back Dontay Joyner was thrown out of the Terrapins' game against Purdue just two minutes into the first quarter. He got into a scuffle with several Purdue players on the opening drive, and officials flagged him for a personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct.
The cameras kept rolling after he left the field. A video shared by DC reporter Faith Harris shows Joyner walking the sideline and hurling his helmet at the ground. It bounced back, and a teammate caught it.
The timing stings. The game was only Joyner's fourth since he came back from a five-game suspension, and Maryland played it without Mike Locksley as head coach, according to the source report. One early penalty cost the team a starter, and cost Joyner almost his whole afternoon.
The ejection is the latest chapter in a rough stretch. Before the season, Joyner was reportedly arrested in an incident involving his former girlfriend and faced two misdemeanor charges. He pleaded guilty to misuse of telephone communications, and a second charge, electronic communication harassment, was dropped.
Court documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun say prosecutors alleged he made more than 90 calls in the days before his arrest, and the filings describe threatening messages. He received three years of supervised probation. The judge also ordered a mental health assessment and an abuse intervention program.
Joyner and Maryland first parted ways, as Locksley announced. Within a month he was back. A team spokesperson said he had rejoined the program, was enrolled in classes and practicing, but would not play until further notice. Locksley framed it as a second chance: "Sometimes people, especially young people, make mistakes, and the second chance can be life-changing."
On the field, the case for bringing him back is clear. Joyner started every defensive game for Maryland in 2025, finishing with 40 stops and two interceptions, one a 67-yard touchdown return against Nebraska. This season he made four tackles against Ohio State and three against Rutgers. Against Purdue, though, he gave the team none of that, and the ejection shows how little margin a player on a short leash has.
