Pro Football Rumors
Jonathon Cooper was arrested twice in late June in connection to an incident involving his ex-girlfriend. The first arrest produced charges for Cooper and his then-girlfriend, while the second brought four new charges — including one felony charge — against the Broncos outside linebacker. An arraignment date has since emerged.
The 28-year-old defender will be arraigned August 31, the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson notes. Cooper was present for a virtual deposition hearing Friday, per Tomasson, setting up the next sequence in this legal process. Cooper will enter a plea on that August date, which arrives three days after Denver’s preseason finale.
An August 31 arraignment opens the door to, as 9News’ Mike Klis outlines, Cooper’s case taking months to adjudicate. That will leave the door open to the starting edge rusher playing while a future suspension likely looms. This timeline occurs regularly in the NFL, with suspensions frequently coming the year after an off-field legal development.
A June 4 incident involving Cooper and his then-girlfriend resulted in both parties being arrested and facing misdemeanor domestic violence and criminal mischief charges. The officers who arrived on scene decided “there was no probable cause for assault charges” based on the conflicting statements which were given and a lack of physical evidence.
The second batch of charges, which included second-degree assault by strangulation along with third-degree assault, came after the unnamed woman gave an account which recalled the confrontation over Cooper’s phone and subsequent events.
She alleged Cooper “grabbed [her] by her neck with one hand and lifted her feet off the ground and up against the wall” and kept her there for approximately one minute. It was at that point, per her statement, that Cooper grabbed his phone back. The woman alleges Cooper then “proceeded to pick her up and throw her back on the ground approximately three times” while also punching a wall next to her face.
When asked by police about the accusation Cooper grabbed the woman’s neck, he said he “really wasn’t squeezing; it was more to keep her at bay while I’m trying to rip (my) cellphone away from her.” He did say he was “aggressive” in the effort to do so. Cooper’s attorney said in June he was “surprised” by the district attorney’s decision to upcharge his client, indicating, “the police had a full, thorough and complete investigation and determined where was not probable cause for these new charges.”
Cooper was forced to sign a protection order to facilitate his release from jail. Cooper’s career is at a crossroads, with the Broncos excusing him from minicamp while he tended to this legal issue. Broncos veterans report for training camp July 28. Cooper will be free to participate, barring the team interceding once again.
This being the first arrest during the Walton-Penner ownership group’s tenure will shine a light on how the organization proceeds, but with Cooper’s case potentially playing out for months beyond the arraignment date, it is possible the Broncos could deploy their Nik Bonitto sidekick...
