Kansas City Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy has been arrested on a felony domestic violence charge, the second high-profile wide receiver from the reigning AFC champions to be facing serious legal trouble in Texas in less than a year.
Williamson County jail records showed that Worthy was arrested by deputies and held in the county jail on a charge of assault on a family or household member in which their breath was impeded, or choking in common terms.
Williamson County includes parts of Austin, where Worthy played college football at the University of Texas.
In a statement, Worthy’s attorneys, Chip Lewis and Sam Bassett, said their client was innocent of the charge against him.
His attorneys said the allegation was made by a female who had been living in Worthy’s home in Williamson County. The statement said the female had been asked to leave the home multiple times over the last two weeks “upon discovery of her infidelity.”
The Chiefs told The Associated Press on Saturday that they were aware of the situation and still gathering information.
Under Texas law, impeding breathing means “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.”
The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of two to 10 years in prison.
Worthy was chosen by the Chiefs with the 28th overall pick in last year’s draft after setting the record for the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He got off to a quick start by scoring a pair of touchdowns in his NFL debut, and after a midseason lull, he became the Chiefs’ go-to wide receiver as they chased an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title.
Worthy finished with 59 catches for 638 yards and six TDs while running 20 times for 104 yards and three more scores.
He was one of the few bright spots for the Chiefs in a 40-22 loss to Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, too. Worthy caught all eight of his targets for 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns at the Superdome in New Orleans.
