Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy was arrested on a domestic assault charge on Friday, police said.
According to a jail record from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Worthy, 21, was arrested in Georgetown, Texas.
He faces a third-degree felony assault charge of impeding the breathing, or choking, a family or household member, according to the jail record. The charge “is committed by intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of the person by applying pressure to the person’s throat or neck or by blocking the person’s nose or mouth,” CBS News affiliate KCTV reported. The charge carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison, the Associated Press reported.
Details about the incident leading up to Worthy’s arrest were not immediately available.
Worthy’s attorneys, Chip Lewis and Sam Bassett, told CBS News in a statement to CBS News that Worthy was innocent and that the allegation was made by a woman who had been living in his Texas home. They said she had been asked to leave the house multiple times in the last two weeks “upon discovery of her infidelity.”
“She has refused to vacate the residence and made a number of extortive efforts prior to resorting to this baseless allegation against Mr. Worthy,” the statement said. “The complainant further destroyed a room in the residence, scratched Mr. Worthy’s face and ripped out parts of his hair, which there is photographic evidence of. Worthy told law enforcement at the time of the incident he did not want to press charges against the complainant.”
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CBS News has reached out to the Chiefs for comment.
A spokesperson for the NFL told CBS News that the league was aware of the matter and has been in contact with the club.
Worthy was selected with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, KCTV said. As a rookie, he recorded 59 receptions for 638 yards, 104 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns, according to statistics shared by ESPN. During playoffs, he became the team’s leading receiver, KCTV said. He played in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.
Worthy was born in Fresno, California and played for the Longhorns at the University of Texas before joining the NFL. Williamson County includes parts of Austin.
