Indiana tight end Peyton Hendershot pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal trespass Tuesday in Monroe County Court.
Hendershot was facing three other misdemeanors in connection to a February dispute with an ex-girlfriend, including domestic battery, criminal conversion, and criminal mischief.
The latter three charges were dismissed as part of his plea agreement. Hendershot was sentenced to one year probation for the trespass offense, which is a Class A misdemeanor. He is also required to receive a mental health evaluation and participate in a batterers treatment program.
Hendershot’s sentence also includes one year in jail, but that sentence is suspended, with two days credit for time already served following his February arrest. He is responsible for $185 in court costs, as well.
Hendershot appeared Tuesday before judge Valeri Haughton, dressed in a blue suit. He had a surgical mask over his face, per court requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a rather brief and straightforward proceeding, Hendershot simply answered questions with “Yes, your honor” and “No, your honor.” When his attorney, Joshua Radicke, asked whether Hendershot was accepting the terms of his plea agreement, he said “Yes, sir.”
“How do you plead?” Haughton asked.
“I plead guilty, your honor,” Hendershot answered.
According to Bloomington police, Hendershot entered the residence of the victim without permission on Feb. 22, accusing her of infidelity. He then reportedly took her cellphone from her to look at calls and texts. When she tried to retrieve the phone, Hendershot, according to police, “grabbed her by the neck and shoved her against the wall.” He then threw the cell phone into the kitchen, police said, breaking the screen.
Following his arrest, Hendershot was indefinitely suspended by IU’s football team but was reinstated in a “modified way” during the offseason program, as coach Tom Allen described it in late April. That included some team and position meetings.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end was still suspended during the Hoosiers’ four spring practices in March and did not participate.
Hendershot, a rising redshirt junior, had a breakout campaign on the field last season, earning third-team All-Big Ten recognition after setting program records for a tight end in receptions (52) and yards (622), along with four touchdowns.