A 31-year-old former NFL linebacker has been charged with murder following an incident at a Tennessee residence. Law enforcement responded to a location near Chattanooga on Thursday, where they discovered a deceased woman. Despite resuscitation attempts, she could not be saved. The suspect was apprehended and subsequently faced charges including first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He is scheduled for a court appearance on February 11.
The Hamilton County sheriff’s office confirmed that preliminary findings indicate homicide as the cause of death. The victim’s identity remains undisclosed pending notification of her family members. Authorities have not released additional details regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident or the relationship between the two individuals involved.
The defendant’s professional career in football included being drafted in the first round by the New York Jets in 2016. His tenure with the Jets lasted three years before his departure in 2019 due to behavioral issues and performance concerns. He later appeared on rosters for other NFL franchises, including the Kansas City Chiefs, whose Super Bowl-winning team in 2020 included him, though he did not participate in the championship game.
His subsequent professional experience proved brief and unsuccessful. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in mid-2021 but did not play in any games before being released two months later. His final NFL appearance occurred with the Buffalo Bills in 2020. Since leaving professional football, his legal history includes a 2023 arrest for assault and domestic violence charges.
According to the arrest report from that previous incident, the defendant allegedly pushed a woman against a wall, threw her to the floor, and struck her face and head repeatedly with closed fists eight to nine times. This prior arrest suggests a pattern of violent behavior that preceded the current homicide charge.
