Report: Damon Arnette had off-the-field issues prior to threatening video
Damon Arnette has struggled with off-the-field issues since joining the Las Vegas Raiders out of college, according to a recent report.
“There were troubling off-the-field signs everywhere for Raiders first-rounder Damon Arnette,” NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport tweeted. “For instance: In his first year in the NFL, Arnette crashed four rental cars within roughly a month, sources said. Now, after a tumultuous weekend including online threats, he’s out.”
On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders waived the second-year cornerback a first-round pick in 2020, after video surfaced this weekend of Arnette making death threats while brandishing a firearm.
Arnette, 25, had been on injured reserve since Oct. 9. He is also facing lawsuits stemming from a Las Vegas car accident last October.
Raiders GM Mike Mayock on Damon Arnette
The Las Vegas Raiders have had one of the most trying months of any NFL franchise in the history of the league.
After the most recent tough decision, Raiders’ general manager commented on the release of the young cornerback.
“Very painful decision,” Mayock said in a conference call. “We spent significant time, effort and resources trying to help him in all aspects of his life.”
It’s clear by Mayock’s statement the Las Vegas Raiders brass had an indication of Arnette’s various issues that all came to a head after this weekend’s video surfaced.
“There have been a series of bad decisions over the last year or so, but we can’t stand, we cannot stand for the video of Damon with a gun, threatening to take a life,” Mayock said of releasing Damon Arnette. “The content was unacceptable, contrary to our values and our owner Mark Davis has been very clear and very consistent that this is not how we will conduct ourselves in this community. The bottom line — the Raiders will not tolerate this type of behavior.”
Arnette was the No. 19 selection out of Ohio State in the 2020 NFL Draft, and many viewed the pick as a surprise at the time. He played in just 13 games, with seven starts, since the start of last season and had three total passes defended and 29 tackles, 23 solo.
Mayock acknowledged there was “significant concern” over Arnette’s character coming out of college, but the Raiders felt they could help him on and off the field and knew the Ohio State coaching staff well enough to trust its advice and take on Arnette.