Dalvin Cook named as victim in domestic abuse case, new details emerge

New details have emerged in the abuse case against Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook.

In the first report from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, which came out Tuesday night, Schefter said that Cook named as a victim in an ongoing domestic abuse and extortion case. The story, at least when it was first published, is that a female U.S. Military Sergeant broke into Cook’s house using a stolen garage door opener, then proceeded to attack both Cook and a guest at his residence.

The military sergeant suffered injuries during the attack and tried to extort Cook for millions of dollars; however, the injuries she sustained — in an attack she started after breaking and entering — were not illegal on behalf of Cook and the guest. Minnesota state law says that “reasonable force may be used” in specific events, one of which includes “when used by any person in lawful possession of real or personal property, or by another assisting the person in lawful possession, in resisting a trespass upon or other unlawful interference with such property.”

The additional details released hours after the initial report complicates Cook’s story. As it turns out, the woman — whom Cook’s agent made out to be a random person — is Cook’s ex-girlfriend. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, she alleged Cook of physically abusing her, causing a concussion and holding her hostage in his home. The woman, Gracelyn Trimble, accused the Vikings running back of “giving me a concussion, leaving a scar on my face and taking me through hell.”

Cook’s agent claiming that Trimble was extorting the Vikings running back became a bit convoluted when she filed a separate lawsuit accusing him of assault, battery and false imprisonment, as she says she was held hostage. Then, the lawsuit was sent to Cook; the lawyers representing Cook and Trimble had settlement discussions, but no agreement was reached.

“While Mr. Cook and Sgt. Trimble had a short term relationship over several months, she became emotionally abusive, physically aggressive and confrontational, and repeatedly attempted to provoke Mr. Cook,” Cook’s lawyer said.

However, Cook’s lawyer, David Valentini, told a vastly different story than Trimble, who said that he “grabbed her arm, and slung her whole body over the couch, slamming her face into the coffee table and causing her lower forehead and the bridge of her nose to bust open.”

Neither party filed a lawsuit in the days following the alleged attack, which happened over a year ago. Trimble went home to Florida, where she was treated for the injuries and told doctors that she was in an ATV accident.

Trimble’s lawsuit includes text messages from Cook that said, “I know what I did can be rewind…If you wanna go to the police I’ll respect that I’ll take my punishment for what I did!”

Cook, a product of Florida State, was drafted in the second round with the 41st-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Selected by the Minnesota Vikings, he has been the franchise’s starting running back ever since.

He’s been named to two Pro Bowls in his five-year NFL career, one in 2019 and one in 2020, and has amassed 4,215 rushing yards on his career on 884 rushing attempts. He has 35 career touchdowns, plus an additional 1,360 yards via receptions, and three receiving touchdowns.

Cook’s NFL career has seen him suffer a few injuries that kept him sidelined in Minnesota, including a torn ACL in Week 4 of the 2017 season. Following that injury, he missed the remainder of the 2017 season after amasssing just 354 rushing yards.

Through the first nine weeks of the NFL season, Cook has taken 115 rushing attempts for 554 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while adding 15 receptions for 85 receiving yards.

Formerly a five-star recruit out of Miami, Florida, Cook in 2014 committed to Florida State, where he went on to play three successful college seasons. He was twice named a first team All-ACC honoree and twice named a first team All-American, while helping the Florida State Seminoles win an ACC title in 2014.