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The NFL dropped a bombshell on August 4, as Kansas City Chiefs free agent acquisition Charles Omenihu was suspended a whopping six games for a violation of the league’s “personal conduct policy.” NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero was the first to report.
It will be the first six games of the 2023 season, per Pelissero, meaning the new $16 million pass rusher will not suit up for KC until Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
After the news, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor reminded fans of an old article he had contributed on regarding Omenihu. The linked piece informed: “San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Charles Omenihu was arrested Monday [January 23, 2023] on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence, according to the San Jose Police Department.”
Continuing: “Police said they responded to a call at a house at 4:39 p.m. PT to investigate a domestic violence incident. When they arrived, a woman said her boyfriend, Omenihu, pushed her to the ground during an argument. Officers did not see any visible physical injuries to the woman, but she did complain about arm pain. The woman declined medical attention while the officers were at the scene, according to the police department’s news release.”
According to The Athletic, Omenihu cooperated and was “arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence ‘based on the victim’s statement and the complaint of pain,’ per the release.”
Chiefs Fans & Media React to Charles Omenihu Suspension
Reactions poured in on X (recently rebranded from Twitter).
“That one’s going to hurt…” One fan replied candidly. Another voiced: “Back up a truckload of cash for Chris Jones and get him to camp ASAP.”
A third agreed on both fronts, writing: “Man…6 seems kind of steep. Chris Jones about to get all the money or the Chiefs D line is going to be in rough shape.”
“Brutal. But guys have to be held accountable for what they do and have done,” one last supporter posted.
On the media side, Arrowhead Pride’s Caleb James appeared less surprised. “Makes sense why you have seen [Malik] Herring and [Joshua] Kaindoh starting to get snaps with the ones,” he commented. “Going to be all hands on deck the first two months of the year up front.”
“Chiefs face a very dominant, healthy Detroit OL right out of the gate this season,” colleague Ron Kopp Jr. weighed in. “Not feeling great about KC’s DL being ready for that.”
Finally, AtoZSports Chiefs writer Charles Goldman attempted to be more hopeful, expressing that “the first six weeks of the season might be the easiest stretch for Kansas City in the grand scheme of things.” It doesn’t sound like Kopp shares that opinion.
More Details on Charles Omenihu’s Domestic Violence Incident According to The Athletic
The January 24 article from The Athletic went into further detail on this incident.
It stated: “Omenihu was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail, and he has been released after posting bail. The case will be submitted to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for possible charges.”
At the time, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that they were aware of Omenihu’s arrest and were “in the process of gathering more information.” Later, he said: “We feel very good about letting the legal process play out by itself.”
In order to pay Omenihu the money that they did — practically replacing a key member of two championship rosters in Frank Clark — the Chiefs must have felt confident that the defensive lineman was going to receive a much lighter suspension.
Six games is over a third of an NFL season, and when you sign a player to a two-year contract, that comes out to about 17.6% of the deal (not including postseason play). Kansas City may have taken a calculated risk when inking Omenihu, but it’s unlikely that this was always the plan.
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