With the NFL reeling from a spate of violent off-field incidents involving players, the Arizona Cardinals benched Jonathan Dwyer after his arrest on suspicion of assault.
According to a Phoenix police news release on Wednesday, detectives from the department's Family Investigations Bureau arrested Dwyer in the wake of two separate incidents allegedly involving a 27-year-old woman and 18-month-old child on consecutive days in July at a Phoenix residence.
Police do not name the alleged victims but said in the release, "Shortly after the incidents occurred the victim left the state with their child."
Dwyer was booked into the Maricopa County Jail and charged with one count of aggravated assault causing a fracture, one count of aggravated assault involving a minor, two counts of criminal damage, one count of preventing the use of a phone in an emergency, and assault, police said.
The Cardinals responded swiftly.
"We became aware of these allegations this afternoon when notified by Phoenix police and are cooperating fully," the team said in a statement. "Given the serious nature of the allegations we have taken the immediate step to deactivate Jonathan from all team activities.
"We will continue to closely monitor this as it develops and evaluate additional information as it becomes available."
According to the police release, Dwyer has admitted some kind of incidents happened, but denied any physical assaults took place.
A Phoenix police spokesman said investigators took a report on the incident on September 11 and detectives had since been seeking medical records and interviewing witnesses.
Dwyer is in his fifth NFL season. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals in March.
Dwyer's arrest quickly made headlines as it follows high-profile legal cases involving Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy.
Baltimore Ravens star running back Rice has been banned indefinitely from the league after punching his fiancee in February.
Carolina player Hardy is appealing a conviction for assaulting a former girlfriend, and Peterson is charged with child abuse for administering a whipping to his young son, a charge that he denies.
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald is also accused of striking his pregnant girlfriend.
Source: AFP