Getty Former Raiders CB Damon Arnette.
Trouble has found Damon Arnette once again. The 2020 first-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders was released by the team during the season after he was seen issuing death threats to someone while waving a gun through his Instagram direct messages. Once he was cut, it was revealed that the team had a number of issues with him prior to his release, including crashing four rental cars “within roughly a month,” per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Arnette eventually signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad before getting let go after the season ended. He then signed a Reserve/Futures deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. He had stayed out of trouble in recent months but that didn’t last long, according to a new report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
According to jail records, the cornerback was booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The records state that he was booked on “counts of assault with a deadly weapon, carrying or concealing a gun without a permit, possession of marijuana or cannabis and possession of a class one or two level controlled substance.” Arnette’s arrest came after a report of a “person with a gun Friday at 5:45 p.m. at Park MGM”, per Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Justin Byers.
While marijuana is legal in the state of Nevada, it cannot be consumed outside of a private home, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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Chiefs Promptly Cut Arnette
Arnette was only a Reserve/Futures contract with the Chiefs, which isn’t difficult for the team to get off of. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Kansas City “immediately released” the former first-round pick once they were made aware of the arrest.
The #Chiefs immediately released CB Damon Arnette after his arrest Friday night in Las Vegas for assault with a deadly weapon, per source.
The Chiefs are still in the playoffs but Arnette was not part of the active roster. He was brought on as a developmental piece that they would get a better look at in the offseason. It appears that he wasn’t even with the team quite yet as he was in Las Vegas just two days before the Chiefs face the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game.
Will Arnette Get Another Chance in the NFL?
Arnette had a real shot at a second chance with one of the best teams in the NFL. The Chiefs don’t have the strongest secondary in the league so there would have been an opportunity to earn a roster spot. He’ll have to see how the legal process plays out but it’s possible that Arnette may have wasted his best opportunity to stay in the NFL.
Both the Raiders and Chiefs likely won’t touch him again in the future. It’s hard to imagine many other teams will want to. Though he was a first-round pick, he didn’t play well. He played in a total of 13 games over the last two seasons due to injury. When he did play, it wasn’t pretty. He frequently struggled in coverage and only has three passes defended. At this point, he’s not worth the risk he brings.
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