Details of Derrius Guice’s domestic violence charges have recently been revealed. According to court documents obtained by the Washington Post and USA Today, Guice, who was recently cut by the Washington Football Team, allegedly attacked his girlfriend three times earlier this year, including one time where he “strangled her until she was unconscious.” The free-agent running back was charged with three counts of assault and battery and one count of destruction of property.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman regained consciousness after the incident on March 13 to find Guice “crying and tapping her.” Guice is also accused of pulling her hair and pushing her multiple times. She then rushed to the airport and took photos of her injuries during a layover in Chicago. The other two incidents happened in February and April.
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“Derrius will defend these charges in court, where a full vetting of the allegations will take place, in contrast to actions by local law enforcement and the Washington Football Team that assumed the worst, directly contradicting every sense of fairness and due process,” defense attorney Peter D. Greenspun said via the New York Post. Guice is set to appear in court on Aug. 28. The Washington Football Team was made aware of the situation last week and they immediately cut Guice.
“This afternoon we learned that there were multiple charges filed against Derrius. Upon review of the nature of these charges and following internal discussions, we have decided to release Derrius immediately,” Washington said in a statement. Head coach Ron Rivera, who is also the de facto general manager, made the decision to cut Guice and defended the move when talking to reporters.
“I talked with the players and basically told them I made a decision I thought was in the best interest of our organization,” Rivera said. “If it was the right decision, we will benefit from it. If it’s not, it will be on me. I will take full responsibility as we go forward to try and make sure we do things the right way. From that, I want to move forward.”
Guice, 23, was drafted by Washington in the second round back in 2018. He missed the entire year due to a torn ACL he suffered during the first preseason game. In 2019, Guice suffered multiple injuries, which led to him only playing five games, rushing for 245 yards and two touchdowns.