NFL players seem to spend a lot of time in the national spotlight over crimes they are alleged to have committed.
Now Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has made the headlines after an ex-girlfriend issued a protective order against him.
The ex-girlfriend of Randle has been granted a temporary protective order against him after saying in court papers that Randle threatened to “blast” a vehicle with their son inside after pointing a gun at her friend.
ESPN reported on how Dalia Jacobs, the mother of his two children, wrote in a request filed last week in district court in Wichita, Kansas, alleging that Randle smashed the windshield of the car with his fist, “causing glass to shatter across my friend and my child” during a fight outside a Wichita hotel. Jacobs also alleged that Randle has a “history of being both physically and emotionally abusive towards me.”
“I am frightened he may do something to harm me and my child,” Jacobs wrote in her request for the protective order.
Police said a gun was not found on the scene, but they are continuing an investigation into the accusation.
Randle was arrested and cited for unlawful possession of a controlled substance. However, Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza later said the misdemeanor charge against Randle was dropped because police received “inconsistent stories, statements from individuals out there.”
If Randle were eventually charged with a domestic violence crime, he would face a six-game suspension by the NFL for a first offense under the leagues new, stricter policy that went into effect before the start of the season. A second domestic violence offense would mean a lifetime ban from the NFL for the player.
Numerous NFL players have been accused of domestic violence and many of them are still paying, reports NBC.
The report lists Ray McDonald and Chris Cook of the San Francisco 49ers, Tony McDaniel and Kevin Williams of the Seattle Seahawks, Santonio Holmes and Brandon Marshall of the Chicago Bears, Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers, Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys, Erik Walden of the Indianapolis Colts, Donte Whitner of the Cleveland Browns, Randy Starks of the Miami Dolphins and Frostee Rucker of the Arizona Cardinals. It says they have all been arrested for domestic violence or related charges since 2005; according to a USA Today database that tracks players’ arrests since 2000.
When an athlete is accused of a crime it inevitably makes headlines. The media circus can make is harder to get a fair trial. It’s important to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney in these high profile cases.
