Minnesota Vikings’ Jeff Gladney turns himself in after being accused of assault
A warrant was issued for the NFL player for third-degree felony family violence assault after an alleged altercation with his girlfriend.
Jeff Gladney, NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings, has turned himself in after being accused of assault in Texas.
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CBS DFW reported a warrant was issued for Gladney after an alleged violent incident involving his girlfriend for a charge of third-degree felony family violence assault. The athlete is faced with two to 10 years in prison, if convicted in the April 2 confrontation. According to the outlet, a 22-year-old woman, who said she was his girlfriend told police she got into an altercation with Gladney in a vehicle while traveling to an apartment complex in southeast Dallas.
According to sources who spoke with CBS DFW, the 24-year-old was allegedly angry over text messages on the woman’s phone. The outlet reported he demanded to see the phone and she threw it out the window. Gladney stopped the vehicle to recover the device. An arrest affidavit described a violent scene.
The affidavit described Gladney “… 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,” and continued to detail he punched 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.”
According to the report, the two returned to the apartment complex where she claimed he “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.”
She allegedly broke free and got into a car with strangers. Detectives documented various bruises on the woman’s head, ears and torso.
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According to CNN, the Vikings released a statement regarding the allegations against Gladney:
“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.”
The cornerback played in 16 games in the 2020-2021 season, starting in 15. The Vikings finished 3rd in the AFC North with a record of 7-9.
Senior Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez with the Dallas Police Department shared details of the incident with the news outlet.
“The altercation escalated, at which time Mr. Gladney physically assaulted the victim. Mr. Gladney left the location prior to officers’ arrival,” Gutierrez said. “There was a warrant for Assault — Family Violence for Mr. Gladney’s arrest and he turned himself into the Dallas County Jail.”
An NFL spokesperson told CNN the league “will review the matter under the Personal Conduct Policy.”
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