Jonathon Cooper Arrested Again as Felony Assault Charge Is Added in Original Case
The Broncos linebacker was taken into custody Thursday for allegedly violating a protection order, one day after prosecutors added a felony second-degree assault charge stemming from his June 4 arrest in Parker, Colorado.
Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper was arrested Thursday for allegedly violating a protection order, according to jail records, marking his second arrest in just over a week. The new arrest came one day after court records showed prosecutors had added two charges from his June 4 arrest in Parker, Colorado, including felony second-degree assault by strangulation. Cooper, 28, had pleaded not guilty in the original case earlier this week, with a trial date set for July 22, right at the doorstep of training camp.
Why was Jonathon Cooper arrested again on Thursday?
According to records from Thursday's arrest, Cooper allegedly sent his girlfriend roughly 20 messages and made two unanswered phone calls before showing up at her apartment, where he knocked on her door and left after she called 911. He now faces allegations of harassment via repeated phone calls and violation of a protection order. That protection order had been put in place earlier in the week, after the felony charge was added in the original case. A judge ordered Cooper released on a personal recognizance bond with a stricter no-contact order, and he must now obtain court approval before traveling outside Colorado. As with his first arrest, none of the allegations has been proven in court, and Cooper is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
What new charges were added in the original case?
Court records this week showed prosecutors added felony second-degree assault by strangulation and misdemeanor third-degree assault, which covers knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury, to the charges from Cooper's June 4 arrest. The original case began with misdemeanor domestic violence-related charges after Parker, Colorado, police took him into custody, and Cooper was released from the Douglas County Jail on a personal recognizance bond the following day. According to arrest records cited by ESPN, the confrontation began as an argument over cellphones, and the two parties gave sharply different accounts. Cooper's girlfriend alleged he grabbed her neck and threw her multiple times, while Cooper claimed he only grabbed her arm while retrieving his phone. The felony charge significantly raises the legal stakes compared to where the case stood when he entered his not guilty plea on Monday.
What have the Broncos and the NFL said?
The Broncos addressed Thursday's arrest directly, saying in a statement, "We are disappointed to learn of Jonathon Cooper's arrest on Thursday and continue to review this matter." That marked a shift in tone from the team's initial response to the June 4 arrest, when it said only that it was aware of the matter and gathering information. The NFL said it will "continue to monitor all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy." Head coach Sean Payton said he had a "long visit" with Cooper about the situation and noted that "the process plays out" with the league involved. The league can act independently of the court system under the personal conduct policy, and the commissioner's exempt list remains an option if the NFL decides to remove Cooper from team activities while the cases proceed.
What is the timeline from here?
Cooper now has two separate sets of court dates colliding with the start of his football calendar. A motions hearing in the original case is scheduled for July 6, a motions hearing tied to Thursday's arrest is set for July 14, and the trial in the first case could begin July 22, which lands almost exactly when Broncos veterans typically report to training camp. Cooper, a seventh-round pick in 2021 who signed a four-year, $60 million extension in 2024 and posted eight sacks last season, has been attending offseason practices. His situation is also part of a broader run of June legal cases around the league, with Packers running back Josh Jacobs and Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson arrested earlier this month in separate, unrelated matters. How the courts and the league office handle the next six weeks will determine whether Cooper is on the field when camp opens.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Jonathon Cooper arrested again, allegedly violated protection order
- ESPN: Felony assault charge added against Broncos LB Jonathon Cooper
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