WATCH ABOVE: After being acquitted of assault charges after the 21-year-old victim failed to testify in court, McGill University football player Luis Guimont-Mota was back at school on Friday. Rachel Lau reports.
MONTREAL – It was a big day for Luis-Andres Guimont-Mota Friday.
It was his first day back after being suspended from the McGill football team back in September.
READ MORE: McGill University football star Luis-Andres Guimont-Mota rejoins team
“I feel more free.”
“I was relieved, I was happy to move forward and stop thinking about the past,” he told Global News.
Guimont-Mota had been accused of assaulting his estranged wife.
But, in a surprising turn of events, the management student was acquitted when the 21-year-old victim failed to testify in court.
Watch: Guimont-Mota charged with assault
“She simply told me she didn’t want to get into it, and she didn’t want to be part of that process, that it wasn’t necessary at all,” said Guimont-Mota.
McGill University has faced some harsh criticism over the star football player’s suspension.
“I find it quite disturbing that he was suspended from the team, basically kicked off the team, at the moment allegations were made without waiting to see what the results were,” said defence lawyer Philip Schneider.
He pointed out that it’s not uncommon for individuals to lose out when fighting against a large institution.
“Maybe McGill University should have thought about his rights and the presumption of innocence rather than just worrying about its appearance,” said Schneider.
READ MORE: McGill all-star football player charged with assault
However, some believe that there’s a thin line when it comes to sensitive issues like domestic abuse.
Ethics professor Margaret Somerville said she thinks McGill would have been criticized no matter how it handled the situation.
“You can’t not make a decision.”
“You’ve got to go one way or the other and sometimes they make the right decision,” she said.
“Sometimes they make a decision that looking back on it later they would rather they hadn’t made.”
Guimont-Mota didn’t want to get into the details of what happened between him and his wife that day.
He’s now focusing on the future.
READ MORE: McGill football player claims he is victim of assault
“At the end of the day, what matters is the people that know you,” he said.
“Your family, your friends, your entourage, your loved ones who know you. That’s really what matters to me.”
READ MORE: McGill football coach resigns amid a flurry of counter-accusations
The 23-year-old told Global News he’s just glad to have his life back.
“I’m just happy to be back with my teammates, see my coaches and just train with them and be involved in the process of becoming a better team,” he said.
For now, there’s only one thing on his mind – the upcoming football season.
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