Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker arrested on serious charges

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damien Wilson has been arrested in Frisco, Texas last week and now faces a charge of assault with bodily injury of a family member, Frisco police Sgt. Stephen Byrom said to the Dallas Morning News.

According to the report, Wilson’s ex-girlfriend said he threatened to kill her with a tire iron and destroyed her laptop after a breakup. Wilson’s attorney, Toby Shook, denied the assault allegations, saying “Damien Wilson did not commit any type of assault. We look forward to all the facts coming out so his name can be cleared.”

Wilson, who signed with the Carolina Panthers last month, is still on the team’s roster as of Monday, according to a team spokesperson. The spokesperson also noted that the team was aware of allegations against Wilson.

The current Panther linebacker cut his teeth in college at Minnesota before being selected in the fourth round by the Cowboys in the 2015 NFL Draft. Wilson spent four seasons in Dallas, playing all 16 games each season and in seven years in the league, has only missed three games out of 110.

After his stint in Dallas, Wilson moved on to Kansas City for two seasons where he played a major role on defense to help lead the defensive effort in a Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 before joining a rebuilding situation with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.

Despite trading Super Bowls for struggles, Wilson’s best season came with the Jaguars last season, totaling 106 tackles on the season with three sacks, one interception and one forced fumble.

Last week’s incident with his ex-girlfriend wasn’t his first with the law. In 2017, Wilson was arrested on aggravated assault charges outside of Toyota Stadium after a woman said “he had backed his pickup truck into her and threatened a man with a rifle,” according to the report. Wilson allegedly told police in an interview that he had road rage and a grand jury declined to indict him.

The investigation remains ongoing.