Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty on Monday to misdemeanor domestic violence charges.
The charges stem from an incident on Thursday in which Cooper and his girlfriend allegedly got into a physical altercation. They were both arrested and charged with criminal mischief, with Cooper’s charge being a misdemeanor and his girlfriend’s charge is petty-level.
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He was in custody through Thursday night and into Friday morning, when he was released on a personal recognizance bond.
Thursday’s incident was reportedly about cell phones and both of their phones were damaged during the incident, but they gave authorities differing accounts.
They agree that his girlfriend through his phone across the room before attempting to look through it. He says that he grabbed her by the upper arm and took the phone back, bracing his neck against her neck to keep her from grabbing it.
But she told authorities that he had instead grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall. She also says he threw her to the ground multiple times before punching the wall next to her face.
Police later noted that her apparent injuries did not seem consistent with that sequence of events.
A motions hearing is now set for July 6 with a potential a jury trial set to begin on July 22.
Cooper is coming off his fifth season for the Broncos in which he recorded eight sacks and 50 total tackles.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
