NFL running back Derrius Guice was arrested on Friday in Loudoun County, Virginia. He faces multiple charges of domestic violence stemming from three separate incidents. After turning himself in to authorities, Guice was released on a $10,000 uninsured bond.
According to ESPN, the charges stemmed from three separate domestic violence incidents. They occurred on Feb. 14, March 13 and April 17 at Guice’s home in Ashburn, Virginia. After an investigation by the Montgomery County Police Department and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office, Guice was arrested. He faces one count of strangulation and three counts of assault and battery. Authorities also charged Guice with one count of destruction of property
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Two hours after Guice’s arrest, the Washington Football Team announced his release. The organization released a statement and said that it became aware of the charges on Thursday afternoon. The team informed the NFL and then met with Guice to tell him that he was excused from all team activities.
“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,” the NFL team said in a statement on Friday. In two seasons with Washington, Guice appeared in five games and rushed for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He missed his rookie season with a torn ACL. Guice also missed 11 games in 2019 due to a torn meniscus and a torn medial collateral ligament.
Following Guice’s arrest and his release by Washington, his attorney released a statement. The running back’s statement denied the charges against him and said he would defend himself in court. He also criticized law enforcement and the Washington Football Team.
“The failure to fully investigate allegations of events, which allegedly took place months ago, is inexplicable,” the statement read. “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.”
Prior to the 2018 NFL Draft, anonymous reports raised concerns about Guice’s character and health. Some people that knew him from high school and college said that these fears “were misplaced,” but multiple NFL teams reportedly removed Guice from their draft boards. The list reportedly included Carolina, where Washington coach Ron Rivera previously coached. Washington ultimately selected the former LSU standout with a second-round pick.
