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After turning himself in on assault charges in April, Minnesota Vikings first-round pick Jeff Gladney broke his silence about the incident last weekend.
Inside The Vikings’ Will Ragatz captured three posts on Gladney’s Instagram story from June 4 in which Gladney hints that he is facing false accusations.
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Gladney Faces 2 to 10 Years in Prison if Convicted
Drafted No. 31 overall in the 2020 draft, Gladney was the Vikings’ most consistent cornerback, playing in all 16 games and making 15 starts.
The 24-year-old turned himself into Dallas County Jail to post $10,000 in bail after being charged with third-degree felony family violence assault on April 2, per CBS 11 reporter J.D. Miles. He faces two to 10 years in prison if convicted, Miles said.
CBS 11 News reported on the accusations based on court records and an anonymous source:
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.
There have been no updates by authorities investigating Gladney’s case. Meanwhile, the NFL said the league “will review the matter under the Personal Conduct Policy” before deciding on what action to take, Mark Craig of the Star Tribune wrote.
The NFL’s decision will likely come down to the state’s ruling on Gladney’s case. Under the league’s personal conduct policy, felony assault charges are subject to a baseline suspension without pay of six games for first offenses.
If Gladney is acquitted, he could still face a penalty from the league if he’s found to have violated the league policy “if credible evidence establishes that he engaged in prohibited conduct,” Craig said.
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Vikings Moving Forward
The Vikings issued a statement the day after Gladney’s charges were reported, saying “We are aware of Jeff’s arrest and are gathering additional information. We take this matter very seriously, as the reported allegations are extremely disturbing. At this time we will have no further comment,” per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
Since then, the Vikings have signed three cornerbacks in Parry Nickerson, Tye Smith and Bashaud Breeland. Gladney was expected to compete for a starting slot cornerback spot with Mackensie Alexander, who re-signed with the Vikings this offseason after a year with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Additionally, the Vikings’ biggest cornerback signing came earlier this offseason in former Arizona Cardinals Pro Bowl corner Patrick Peterson.
Gladney has not reported to voluntary OTAs yet this season and likely won’t report to any team activities until his case is settled.
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