Domestic violence in NFL has become a very serious issue over the years. NFL players seem likely to get involved in this kinda situation very often. The number of total arrests made for domestic violence will shock you. We have more than 80 players’ names who were arrested cause of domestic violence from 2000 to the present. To prevent this NFL created personal conduct policy.
Here is the list of NFL players arrested for domestic violence.
1. Ray Rice
Arrest Year: 2014
Team: Baltimore Ravens
Position: Running Back
Accusation:
Beating his wife in the face and drugging her out of the elevator by her hair while she was unconscious.
Ray Rice was one biggest names in NFL, and he is the second all-time leading rusher for Baltimore Ravens, just behind Jamal Lewis.
Domestic Violence cases were reported against NFL players so many times before Rice’s incident happened. But Rice’s event shocked everyone, and the NFL started to take that matter very seriously after Rice’s video went viral. It’s the only time domestic violence crime by NFL players has been caught on camera.
In 2014, Ray was accused of hitting his wife in the elevator. Initially, NFL suspended Rice for two games. The decision made by the NFL was hugely criticized as players accused of drug violations received much more suspension.
However, the case didn’t end up there. A few days later, TMZ published a security footage video that showed Rice punching his wife, Janay Palmer in the face and dragging her out of the elevator by her hair while she was unconscious.
Punishment:
After that video, commissioner Roger Goodell admits that he made a mistake and then suspended Rice for an indefinite time. Later Rice was reinstated from that, though. However, no team made any new contracts with Rice later and Rice hasn’t played any professional games since 2014.
2. Adrian Lewis Peterson
Arrest Year: 2014, 2022
Team: Washington Redskins
Position: Running Back
Accusation:
• Use a wooden switch repeatedly to punish four years old son.
• Assaulting wife in the plane.
Adrian Lewis Peterson is one of the most prominent players for the Washington Redskins. Before drafting by Minnesota Vikings seventh overall in 2007, Peterson used to play college-level football in Oklahoma. In 2018, Peterson joined with Redskins.
In 2014, when Peterson was at the top of his career got arrested for the first time cause of child abuse. The accusation against Peterson was he used a wooden switch repeatedly to punish his four years son.
The case got solved; however, Peterson became the headline of the domestic violence case once again earlier in 2022. He was accused of assaulting his wife on the plane before it took off. Police arrested Peterson at the airport.
Punishment:
Peterson was suspended for six games while he was accused of punishing his son. He filed a lawsuit, too, against the League, accusing the league is handling the scenario in the wrong way.
In 2022, when Peterson was arrested for assaulting his wife and he got released the same day. However, he had to post a bond of $500,000. Later, his wife declares that Peterson didn’t physically assault her, so the case was dropped.
3. Greg Hardy
Arrest Year: 2014
Team: North Carolina Panthers
Position: Defensive End
Accusation:
Assaulting girlfriend and making death threats.
Greg Hardy was one of the prominent NFL players arrested for domestic violence. He has given so much to the North California Panthers. He will always be one of the best players who brought huge success to the team.
However, Hardy’s stay with the Panthers didn’t last long. In 2014 he was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder physically. Holder also claimed that Hardy threatened to kill her.
NFL investigated the case, and they found out that Hardy violated the personal conduct policy. He used physical force against Holder and threw her on the futon many times while the futon was covered with at least four semi-automatic rifles. That caused serious health damage to Holder.
Punishment:
When the case was filed against Hardy, the court suspended him from playing ten games. However, the punishment was reduced later, and he was only banned for four games. Court reduced his punishment cause Holder chose not to testify on the stand.
Even after the appeal, North Carolina didn’t take Hardy, and he played the season with the Cowboys. It is the last season of Hardy’s in the league. He later purchases his career in UFC.
4. Ezekiel Elliott
Arrest Year: 2017
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Position: Running Back
Accusation:
Physically assaulting a woman multiple times.
Ezekiel Elliott is considered the best running back of this time. He used to play for Ohio State in his college football career. In 2015 college football, he earned second-team All-America honors, and then in the 2016 NFL draft, he joined the Dallas Cowboys. In the two full seasons he played for the Cowboys, he led the league in rushing.
In 2016, a woman reported to the police accusing Elliott, who physically assaulted her multiple time. Even though there were accusations, Elliott was not arrested or criminally charged.
Punishment:
There were long investigations on that matter. The court suspended Elliott for six games. The NFLPA then challenged the suspension of Elliott in federal court. And he got the chance to play the first half of the season as courts intervened three times to prevent the suspension from going into effect.
Ultimately, when the case then went to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court, they denied Elliott’s appeal and request for an injunction.
Finally, in November 2017, Elliott accepted his suspension of banning from playing six matches.
5. Tyreek Hill
Arrest Year: 2018
Team: Miami Dolphins
Position: Wide Receiver
Accusation:
NFL player Tyreek Hill was arrested for domestic violence, accused of child abuse, and assaulting a woman.
2019 off-season Overland Park, Kansas police started an investigation on Tyreek Hill and Hill’s then-girlfriend Crystal Espinal. They were under investigation after their child suffered a broken arm. Prosecutors believed that a crime had been committed by these two. However, prosecutors couldn’t take any legal action against them as there was no evidence that could be established that they hurt the boy.
When prosecutors declared the decision, a TV station KCTV5 released an audio where Hill was making physical threats to his girlfriend and also cited the child incident.
This was not the first time when Hill had to deal with the law. In 2014, Hill was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend while she was pregnant. After she filed a complaint, Hill was arrested.
Punishment:
In 2014 for assaulting his girlfriend while she was pregnant, Hill was thrown out of the Oklahoma State University football team. Luckily, he escaped prison time but was on probation for three years.
And after releasing the audio clip, Kansas City Chiefs immediately suspend Hill. Later NFL league declared that they are not going to suspend Hill as the audio clip didn’t determine he violated the personal conduct policy. After NFL’s decision, the Chiefs reinstated Hill.
Conclusion:
These were the recent years’ most stirred cases of NFL players arrested for domestic violence. There are 75 other cases like that. Check out our other article to learn about all the NFL players who got arrested for domestic violence.
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