SALT LAKE CITY — Dominique Hatfield has been in the news for all the wrong reasons the last couple of months. But despite the ongoing legal issues he faces and less-than-certain future with the Utah football program, Hatfield continues to lead.

Hatfield, 20, has had a tenuous offseason following an impressive switch from receiver to corner last season at the University of Utah. Coming into the 2015 season, Hatfield was the clear favorite at starting corner opposite returning Reggie Porter. But then some questionable legal issues altered his path and his future with the football program.

On July 2, Hatfield was charged with felony aggravated robbery and misdemeanor theft stemming from an incident where he allegedly stole money from someone looking to buy an Xbox from a classified ad. The charges were later dropped, but by then Hatfield had already been dismissed from the football program pending "other concerns" by Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.

Two weeks after all charges were dropped, Salt Lake City filed unrelated misdemeanor charges against Hatfield for an alleged assault that took place at a party early in July. The university investigated the allegations and has since cleared Hatfield of all wrongdoing and allowed him back in school. But Hatfield is left waiting for the legal process to play out before the university will consider allowing him back onto the football team.

"The legal process is still running its course with that situation," Whittingham said last week following practice. "From a football standpoint we've got to make sure it runs its course and we'll re-evaluate after everything's been decided and had closure."

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Former Ute Dominique Hatfield charged with assault

Former Utah cornerback Dominique Hatfield was charged with assault Aug. 3.

The loss of Hatfield was hard for his coaches and teammates, who said he was always a motivator and mentor at the position.

Shortly after being dismissed from the football program, Hatfield texted one of his best friends on the team, corner Brian Allen, saying: " 'I think you're going to be that guy, so I need you to step up and be a leader for these young guys,'" Allen said, describing the conversation he had with Hatfield. "Ever since then that just motivated me and I'm just taking the opportunity."

Throughout the ups and downs of his legal issues, Allen said Hatfield continues to communicate with him and give him motivation to be better and to "pick up where I left off."

"He's fine, he's just like, 'I need you to go out there and pick up where I left off. I just need you to be good and I'll get through this and I'll be back soon.'

"Even though he's not here, the day before camp I texted him and let him know that it was 'going to be different without you out there; that you're like another coach to me — one of the guys that motivates me,' " Allen added. "He's one of the guys that keeps the defense going."

For cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah, Hatfield, or any athlete for that matter, is not defined by poor decisions.

"Unfortunately some kids, by way of either environment or decision making, they make a bad decision. And it hurts that kid and everybody that relies on that kid," Shah said. "You don't take it personal as a coach, and that cannot be the definition upon which that kid is based. Oh this kid did this and he was charged for that and that's who he is. I will never allow myself to define a kid by a mistake rather than his entire body of work and who he is as a person."

Whether Hatfield is found guilty of the alleged assault incident doesn't change Shah's approach to how he communicates with Hatfield or his hope to have him back on the football team. Shah said he still talks to Hatfield "almost every day" and sees him as one of his sons he needs to help.

"That's why I tweeted what I tweeted: God, give him better people. Let him make good decisions, and that's it," Shah said, speaking about some tweets he shared following the charges being dropped on the aggravated robbery incident. "It's part of being a coach, part of helping a kid work through those dynamics."

Allen said he hopes that Hatfield will be cleared of all charges and given the opportunity to play with the team again, even if it means he loses out on a position with Hatfield's return.

"At the end of the day I learned a lot of stuff from him, so I wouldn't be upset if he was to come back in and got his position back because I'm a team player," Allen said. "I just really want to see this team be successful, and that's all that really matters to me.

"Me and Dominique were pretty close," Allen added. "We hung out all the time and he would come over to my house and we'd barbecue and stuff like that. I miss him, I love him to death. But I just wish that all his problems and everything that's going on right now, I just hope he can get through it. And I just want him to know that I'm here for him and I just wish that he could get back. I really want him to come back to this team."

Whittingham has left the door open for Hatfield's return, pending his legal issues get cleared up.

"It depends on when, or if and when he got back. If it was before camp ended then it would be a very viable possibility that he could be back in the mix early in the season," Whittingham said. "The longer it goes, the less likely it is that he'd be a factor this year for us. He does have a redshirt year if in fact he is able to get reinstated and able to get everything worked though then we have that option as well."

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