Denver Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper apologized on Instagram after his domestic violence and criminal mischief arrest in Colorado.
Denver Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper apologized publicly after his domestic violence arrest in Colorado, posting Bible verses about anger and a brief message to family, friends and the community on Instagram.
Cooper was arrested around 11 p.m. Thursday and held overnight on two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief after an incident involving his girlfriend, who was also arrested on a domestic violence charge, according to the source report. The Broncos and the NFL are aware of the incident.
“I realize posting a Bible. (sic) Quote right after something very serious happens does not just mean everything is okay,” Cooper wrote in an Instagram Story cited by the report. “I apologize to my family, to my friends and my community.”
He added in another post: “I apologize. This situation is not who I am.”
Cooper appeared Friday morning in a Douglas County courtroom with attorney Harvey Steinberg. A follow-up plea hearing was tentatively scheduled for Monday, and Cooper was released on a personal recognizance bond.
The Instagram posts included highlighted passages from Ephesians 4:26-32, including language that says, “Do not let your anger lead you into sin,” and verses urging people to put away “bitterness and wrath and anger.”
According to the arrest affidavit cited in the report, Cooper and his girlfriend had been arguing over cheating allegations. The affidavit says she grabbed Cooper’s phone, threw it, picked it up and tried to look through it. Cooper allegedly made physical contact with her while trying to retrieve the phone.
The responding officer concluded there was no probable cause for harassment or assault charges, citing conflicting statements from Cooper and his girlfriend and a lack of bruises, scratches or other credible evidence of physical contact, according to the affidavit as described in the report.
The affidavit also says Cooper admitted causing “disabling damage” to his girlfriend’s phone by biting it. It included an allegation from the girlfriend that Cooper picked her up by the throat, though the officer concluded a small mark on her neck did not appear consistent with that claim.
Cooper, a sixth-year NFL player, has 31.5 career sacks. The next court proceeding is expected to determine how the case moves forward.
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