Noel Devine #

Introduction #

Noel Devine is a former West Virginia University star running back who was working as an assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst on Rich Rodriguez’s Mountaineers staff when he was arrested on September 13, 2026, in Monongalia County, West Virginia, and charged with one count of strangulation, a felony under West Virginia law. The arrest came less than a day after WVU’s 52-7 season-opening win over UT Martin, and Devine was booked into the North Central Regional Jail at 12:45 p.m. on a $40,000 bond, according to jail records and multiple reports. Within hours of learning of the arrest, Rodriguez announced that Devine had been placed on indefinite leave from the coaching staff, suspending the college career of one of the most productive running backs in school history while the charge is pending.

Background Information #

Devine, 38, was one of the most decorated recruits in WVU history when he arrived in Morgantown in 2007, and he backed up the hype: across a four-year career he rushed for more than 4,300 yards, the third most in school history, and scored 29 touchdowns, while his 98 receptions are a school record for running backs and added 710 yards and two more scores. He was the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards and was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. After leaving WVU following the 2010 season, he went undrafted in 2011, had a brief look from the Philadelphia Eagles that ended within a week, and bounced between the United Football League and the Canadian Football League during the 2010s. When Rodriguez returned to Morgantown ahead of the 2025 season, he brought Devine onto his staff in January 2025 as an assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst, putting him on the sideline of the program where he built his legend.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

According to the NY Post, Devine was arrested on Sunday, September 13, 2026 — the day after the Mountaineers’ 52-7 win over UT Martin at Milan Puskar Stadium — and charged with felony strangulation. He was booked into the North Central Regional Jail at 12:45 p.m., and the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation website listed him as in custody on a $40,000 bond for one count of strangulation in Monongalia County. Details of the alleged incident itself were not immediately available in either report; neither outlet described the circumstances, any alleged victim, or a court date, and no complaint details were quoted. What transformed the arrest into a career-level consequence was the speed of the program’s response: Rodriguez said that upon receiving information of the arrest, he “immediately and indefinitely” put Devine on leave from the Mountaineer football coaching staff, saying any future decision on his status would be determined after more information becomes available.

What is documented vs. alleged. The arrest, the strangulation charge, the $40,000 bond, and the indefinite leave are documented through jail records and Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation listings as reported by WCHS and the NY Post. The underlying allegation — that Devine strangled someone — is exactly that, an allegation in a criminal complaint that has not been tested in court; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, and no conviction has occurred. Neither outlet reported injuries, the identity of any alleged victim, or a probable-cause account, and this page makes no finding on the merits of the charge.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The consequence was immediate and formal. Rodriguez’s statement, released through WVU Athletics on Sunday evening, said: “Upon receiving information of the arrest, I have immediately and indefinitely put Noel Devine on leave from the Mountaineer football coaching staff,” adding, “Any future decision on his status will be determined after more information becomes available.” The leave removes Devine from the staff while WVU’s season is underway, with no timeline for a decision on his future. Because the charge is a felony, a conviction could carry prison time, though no penalty has been sought or adjudicated; strangulation offenses in West Virginia carry potential multi-year sentences, and prosecutors have not commented on how they intend to proceed. WCHS noted the arrest landed one day after a dominant win that had otherwise been a celebratory opener for Rodriguez’s program, and local coverage focused on the jarring contrast between the lopsided victory and the coach’s jail booking the next afternoon.

Current Status #

As of the most recent reporting, Devine remains charged with one count of strangulation in Monongalia County and had been held at the North Central Regional Jail on a $40,000 bond, with no arraignment or court date details published in the coverage consulted. His status with the program is indefinite leave, per Rodriguez’s statement — not an outright termination — with any “future decision” explicitly deferred until more information becomes available. Neither WVU Athletics nor Devine has issued any further statement beyond the coach’s leave announcement, and no attorney for Devine is identified in the reporting, so no response or defense statement from him exists yet. The case has not appeared on a public court docket in the coverage consulted, and no hearing date was available at publication.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

Before the arrest, Devine’s post-playing rehabilitation was one of the feel-good threads of Rodriguez’s second tenure: a hometown-era hero returning to the staff in January 2025, helping coach the position he once starred at, and appearing on the sideline as the Mountaineers opened the 2026 season with a 52-7 rout. The felony charge and the immediate indefinite leave have frozen that second career at its highest point. He is off the coaching staff while the criminal case proceeds, and given that the leave was announced within hours of the arrest by the head coach himself, his return would require both a favorable legal development and an explicit decision by WVU. His Hall of Fame status and playing records are not affected by the charge, but the arrest now sits alongside them in the program’s record: coverage of a man who rushed for over 4,300 yards and held the school’s receptions record for running backs now leads with a jail booking photo. Any further consequences — termination, plea, or exoneration — remained undetermined at publication.