DENVER — Denver Broncos' outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, as well as his girlfriend, have been arrested on charges of domestic violence and criminal mischief.
The 28-year-old from Ohio State was arrested by officers with the Parker Police Department late Thursday and booked into the Douglas County detention facility around 2:30 a.m. Friday, according to jail records. He is being held on suspicion of two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief. All three are misdemeanors.
Watch Denver7's latest breaking report on this development in the story below.
According to an arrest affidavit Denver7 obtained, police responded to the 9500 block of S. Twenty Mile Road in Parker and contacted Cooper and his girlfriend. The document reads that they have been in a relationship on and off for about four years. They were inside Cooper's apartment when his girlfriend confronted him with cheating allegations, the affidavit reads.
She told authorities she grabbed his phone from his hands and threw it across the living room, damaging the case and wall. She picked the phone off the ground and "was able to go through his phone and observed content out of her own curiosity for closure or clarity," the affidavit reads. Cooper wanted his phone back.
At some point, they got into a physical struggle near the front door of the apartment. Cooper told authorities he grabbed her upper arms and got his phone, but she kept trying to take it back, the document reads.
"Jonathan told (the officer) that he braced his neck against (her) neck to prevent her from getting his phone," the affidavit reads. "As of this report, there is no probable cause for harassment or assault charges given conflicting statements and lack of specific physical evidence."
Cooper told authorities that he picked up her phone and said if she did not leave the apartment, he would break her phone.
"Jonathan admitted that (his girlfriend) did not leave and he bit (her) phone, causing disabling damage," the affidavit reads. "I observed (her) iPhone 17, valued at approximately $830, to have a cracked screen. (Her) statements corroborated this portion of the incident."
Both of them were arrested on misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and criminal mischief. Cooper was brought to the jail. The girlfriend was transported to Anschutz Hospital for a forensic nurse exam.
When Denver7 contacted the Broncos for a statement about this incident, they said: "We are aware of the matter and are gathering more information."
As a seventh-round draft pick in 2021, Cooper is entering his sixth season with the Broncos, the Associated Press reports. He has started every game since 2023 and has 31 1/2 career sacks, including eight last season when he also registered a sack in the playoffs. He had a career-best 10 1/2 sacks in 2024 and late that season signed a four-year, $54 million contract extension, the AP reports.
According to court documents, he has a court hearing on June 8.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we learn more.