Attorneys for former Notre Dame basketball coach Ryan Ayers ask for trial to be moved

SOUTH BEND — Former Notre Dame assistant basketball coach Ryan Ayers is asking that a trial scheduled for later this month be pushed back to allow his lawyers time to review a "massive" series of texts between Ayers and a woman he allegedly took naked photos of without her consent. 

It would be the second time a trial for Ayers has been postponed, as an original June date was also pushed back. 

Ayers is currently charged with one felony count of voyeurism, one misdemeanor count of domestic battery and a misdemeanor count of conversion.

More:Trial for former Notre Dame basketball coach postponed, state drops another charge

A motion to postpone the trial filed last week by Ayers' attorneys says prosecutors handed over a "massive" electronic file from the phone of a woman accusing Ayers of taking naked photos of her without her consent. 

The file includes almost 120,000 text messages between Ayers and the woman, the motion says, and will take "extensive time and work" to process. 

Ayers' attorneys also notified the court that the trial will likely take four days to complete. 

Court documents say the St. Joseph County Cyber Crimes Unit recovered from Ayers’ phone “various images of naked women where they seem to be unaware that a photo was being taken of them. These images include the women in the shower, sleeping on a bed, or in a sexual position.”

One woman also told investigators she and Ayers got into a “physical altercation” while driving in St. Joseph County in July 2020, when she found messages from another woman on Ayers’ phone. During the altercation, Ayers took the woman’s phone and attempted to kick her out of the car, hitting her in the face in the process, documents say.

Prosecutors originally charged Ayers with two additional counts of voyeurism which have since been dismissed. A misdemeanor count was dismissed as the alleged act fell outside the statute of limitations and a felony count was dismissed when one of two women accusing Ayers decided not to testify or be involved in the case moving forward. 

St. Joseph County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Sanford has not issued an order on the motion to delay the trial as he is on vacation. 

Notre Dame announced Ayers was no longer part of the men's basketball program in late September of last year. Ayers graduated from Notre Dame in 2009 and also spent four seasons (2016-20) on head coach Mike Brey’s staff.

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek