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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Gladney turned himself in to Dallas County Jail on Monday after a warrant for his arrest was issued on a family violence assault charge.
Gladney, 24, whom the Vikings drafted No. 31 overall in last year’s draft, faces a third-degree felony charge, which carries a possible sentence of two to 10 years in prison, per CBS 11 News in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The team issued a statement on Monday night following a detailed report by CBS.
“We are aware of Jeff’s arrest and are gathering additional information,” Minnesota said in a statement, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. We take this matter very seriously, as the reported allegations are extremely disturbing. At this time we will have no further comment.”
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Disturbing Details Revealed
Citing anonymous sources and an arrest affidavit, CBS 11 pieced together the alleged narrative of the interaction that took place on April 2.
Here’s what CBS 11 News gathered:
A 22-year-old woman, who said she was in a relationship with Gladney, told police she got into an altercation with the NFL player while in a vehicle heading to an apartment complex in southeast Dallas.
Sources told CBS 11 News that Gladney became upset over the woman’s text messages and demanded to see her phone. At one point, sources said the accuser threw her phone out of the window on Elam Road but that Gladney stopped to get it.
An arrest affidavit claimed he tried “… shoving [her] face toward her phone to try to use the phone’s Face ID to unlock,” and later “… pulling [her] by her hair trying to hold her still in order to get the Face ID to work.”
The accuser then said Gladney began to strike her “… with closed fists causing pain in the side of her ribs, in the stomach and the back, and hitting her open hand across the head.”
Then she told detectives the two returned to an apartment complex in Dallas, where she said Gladney “… began strangling [her] by the neck, which impeded her breathing for approximately five seconds,” and later “… grabbed [her] by her hair while the vehicle was still moving and dragged [her] across the ground.”
The woman said she was able to break free and get into a vehicle with unknown passengers. Detectives documented bruising on her head, ears and torso.
She also reported she had scratches on her face and neck and abrasions on her knees.
Authorities are still investigating the offense, meanwhile, the NFL will also conduct its own investigation.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league “will review the matter under the “Personal Conduct Policy” before making a decision on what action to take, Mark Craig of the Star Tribune wrote.
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What’s Ahead for Gladney?
While Gladney undergoes his trial process, the NFL may also take action depending on the state’s ruling.
Craig added that, per the league’s personal conduct policy, felony assault charges are subject to a baseline suspension without pay of six games for the first offense.
A player who is charged but not convicted could also still be found to have violated the league policy “if credible evidence establishes that he engaged in prohibited conduct,” per Craig.
Gladney started in 15 of 16 games last season for the Vikings as the most reliable cornerback on the depth chart. He was poised to compete for the starting slot cornerback spot with recently re-signed 2016 second-round pick, Mackensie Alexander.
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Vikings Break Silence on ‘Disturbing’ Allegations Against Jeff Gladney