Inexplicably, former Raiders first round draft pick Damon Arnette finds himself in serious trouble with the law for the third time in two years.
Arnette was apprehended in Richardson, Texas, at 3:30 a.m. local time on Jan. 6, facing charges of unlawful carrying of a firearm and possession of less than a gram of methamphetamine.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Former #Raiders first round pick Damon Arnette was arrested on January 6th at 3:30 am and charged with possession of less than a gram of meth and unlawful carrying of a firearm, per @RapSheet
It’s not his first run-in with the law. pic.twitter.com/rvOJbnQzy7
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) February 26, 2024
Exact details surrounding the arrest remain unclear at this time. However, Arnette’s legal representatives claim he’s innocent.
“Our client, at the time of the stop, was unable to provide law enforcement with his prescription for a lawful medication. The arrest was predicated on Mr. Arnette being unable to prove the medication was prescribed, had he been able to do so at the time of the stop there would have been no arrest for either the controlled substance of the firearms,” stated Jason Lampert of Salzano, Ettinger, Lampert & Wilson, LLP, along with Thomas Wynne of Milner Wynne (via NFL Media).
“Our offices are working with the local law enforcement to rectify this matter before any charges are brought by the District Attorney’s office,” the statement concluded.
From the legal counsel for Damon Arnette comes an explanation: https://t.co/MJtiGBiMXc pic.twitter.com/wd3fi8mhqi
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2024
Arnette, a former standout at Ohio State, was selected by the Raiders 19th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Despite a promising start to his professional career, he found himself embroiled in controversy leading to his release from the team.
The Raiders parted ways with Arnette after a disturbing video surfaced on social media depicting him brandishing a firearm and making threats against an unnamed individual.
Raiders CB Damon Arnette waving a gun around and threatening to kill somebody pic.twitter.com/kK4ZGFN0Oi
— BLACK ADAM SCHEFTER (@B1ackSchefter) November 6, 2021
Subsequently, Arnette briefly joined the Kansas City Chiefs before being released following an arrest in early 2022, where he was accused of pointing a gun at a Las Vegas valet.
His legal troubles persisted later that year with an arrest in Miami, where he faced charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving on a suspended license.
Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette being ur 2 1st round draft picks is criminal 🤣🤣 https://t.co/rkSGUU9K07
— Skiz (@iSkizm) February 26, 2024
“You know, it’s really sad man. We really try and give people chances. You just pissed me off man. You think we’re stupid? You think we don’t know what’s up? It’s Miami beach, it’s Miami f*cking beach bro. You think that we don’t know that sh*t, that we’re stupid, that we’re born yesterday?” a police officer expressed to Arnette at the time.
“I’m just venting because honestly, it sucks. We can’t even give people warnings without them f*cking it up for themselves,” the officer continued.
Police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows officers went in on Damon Arnette throughout the football player's arrest back in July … with one straight up calling the ex-Raiders defensive back "a f***ing idiot" during the stop. https://t.co/9FhHRKYqn6
— TMZ (@TMZ) December 21, 2022
Arnette was just one of several poor draft decisions by the Raiders at the time.
Despite Arnette claiming his innocence, it’s clear that troubles with the law continue to be a reoccurring theme with him.
Unfortunately, it looks like just another case of wasted talent…
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent https://t.co/4OL6r7PXhi pic.twitter.com/gmaOrhpLdW
— Producer Bob (@BroadcastBob66) February 27, 2024