A Dallas jury found former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Gladney not guilty on a felony assault charge Thursday.
The verdict was unanimous, according to online court records.
“This has been a challenging time for Jeff mentally, spiritually and athletically,” Gladney’s agents, Brian E. Overstreet and Rodney Williams, said in a statement, according to the Pro Football Network. “So, we applaud Jeff for having the courage to stand and fight for his freedom versus these false allegations.”
Gladney, 25, was arrested in April 2021 in Dallas after allegedly assaulting a former girlfriend. He was charged with domestic violence by impeding breathing after allegedly “intentionally, knowingly and recklessly” causing bodily injury and applying pressure to the woman’s neck and throat.
The altercation grew out of an argument and took place over a span of more than two hours, according to a lawsuit the woman filed last year against Gladney. She also alleged in the suit that he tried to bribe her and intimidate her into keeping quiet.
If he had been convicted he could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
The Vikings released Gladney last August after he was indicted. Gladney, who was a first-round draft pick in 2020 out of TCU, started 15 games for the Vikings as a rookie.
“Unfortunately, Jeff has lost a year of his career,” Overstreet and Williams said in their statement. “We sincerely hope that the NFL will take a page from the criminal justice system going forward and truly believe these guys are innocent until proven guilty. Today, Jeff is in a good place and we look forward to engaging with NFL teams about furthering his career at the appropriate time. Out of respect for the process, we will have no further comments at this time.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: www.espn.com