Former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold could find himself sidelined for a significant portion of the upcoming season based on the discretion of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Detroit waived Arnold in late June, just hours after a judge in Florida afforded the 23-year-old a $1 million bond. That decision by the court allowed Arnold his freedom pending trial on four counts of armed robbery and four counts of kidnapping tied to an alleged incident in February.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported on Monday, July 13 that the league could step in and eliminate the possibility that Arnold dominates headlines for the weeks and months to come, shedding an unfavorable light on the NFL across the duration of his legal issues.
“It is lined right up to be [the] Commissioner’s Exempt List,” Breer said. “Here’s a way to take a player who’s reflecting poorly on the league off the field so the team doesn’t have to make a decision on him before the legal process has been completed.
“This is obviously, like, a really messed up story. And if he’s on the field, that story gets told over and over and over again, which I think is, like, what the NFL has used the exempt list to avoid,” Breer continued. “So it’ll be interesting to see if he lands there. I mean, he’s facing life in prison. So what’s the precedent here?”
Terrion Arnold Currently Free Agent While Awaiting Trial
GettyCornerback Terrion Arnold, formerly of the Detroit Lions.
Goodell has long held what is essentially ultimate disciplinary power when it comes to players violating the league’s code of conduct, particularly with regards to off-field legal troubles.
The exempt list allows Goodell, and only Goodell, to shelve a player like Arnold indefinitely. Though, the cornerback will continue to receive the pay that is part of his guaranteed rookie contract.
As ESPN’s Keith Jenkins explained in an article from December 2024, status on the exempt list essentially functions as “paid leave” for the player in question.
Arnold has cleared waivers since Detroit’s decision to release him, which means no franchise claimed the defensive back via that process. The end result for Arnold is unrestricted free agency. Thus, he is now free to ink a deal with any team that will have him.
Terrion Arnold’s Agent Says 4 NFL Teams Interested in Cornerback
GettyCornerback Terrion Arnold, formerly of the Detroit Lions.
Arnold’s representation has indicated that the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks are potentially interested in adding the cornerback.
One of those teams could do so, and the league would not be penalize that organization with the loss of one of its 53 roster spots should Goodell eventually decide to place Arnold on the exempt list.
In such scenario, the commissioner would have full discretion with regards to the length of Arnold’s stay on the exempt list. But if Arnold joins a team and ends up on that list, the established rules would still allow him “to attend meetings, workouts, and receive treatments at the team facility,” per Jenkins’ report.
It is unclear what type of punishment Arnold may face from the NFL should the courts ultimately exonerate him from the eight felony counts with which he is charged. However, it remains a distinct possibility that Arnold will incur a suspension of some kind in the future regardless of the outcome of the legal process.
Ex-Lions CB Terrion Arnold Gets Bad News on Playing Future