FRISCO – The attorneys for troubled former NFL player Damon Arnette have issued a statement regarding his reported arrest, claiming the story is “simply incorrect.”
What is in question? NFL Network on Monday said that Arnette was arrested and charged with possession of less than a gram of meth and unlawful carrying of a firearm in Richardson, Texas, on Jan. 6. We followed up by reminding that Arnette, a Dallas native who Raiders drafted with the No. 19 overall pick out of Ohio State, has been involved in a mountain of legal troubles capped by a false claim that he was preparing to sign a contract with his hometown Dallas Cowboys.
The statement from the attorneys: “Our client, at the time of the stop, was unable to provide law enforcement with his prescription for a lawful medication. The arrest was predicated on Mr. Arnette being unable to prove the medication was prescribed. Had he been able to do so at the time of the stop, there would have been no arrest for either the controlled substance of the firearms.”
The attorneys said they’re working with local law enforcement “to rectify this matter” before the District Attorney’s Office presses charges.
That’s well and good. But with all due respect to the attorneys, and to Arnette’s position, we can’t quite figure out which part of the story is “simply incorrect.”
Arnette was indeed arrested, as his lawyers concede. He could not established that the “meth” was prescribed. And he was in possession of a gun.
Those facts seem “correct” to us.
Arnette and his attorneys have their hands full here, frankly, because the lie Arnette told about the Cowboys is nothing compared to the 2020 incident in which he allegedly brandished a gun while issuing death threats, or the 2022 incident in which a grand jury indicted him on assault with a deadly weapon and firearm-related charges last May after he allegedly pointed a gun at a valet, or the 2022 series of incidents that saw him get pulled over twice in a few hours after he was found driving license was suspended, allowed to leave as long as he didn’t drive until he got the license reinstated. … but then was pulled over again.
“You’re a f***** idiot, bro,” one of the officers said to him then. “You had the chance. You had the chance to go home. You f**** it up.”
That resulted in criminal charges being filed against Arnette for felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor knowingly driving with a suspended license.
In August, a judge sentenced Arnette to 50 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine after he pleaded guilty. He was also barred from possessing any guns, with the threat of prison time. And again, while we await more information on what is “simply incorrect” … Arnette just got arrested in Texas because police say he is guilty of the “unlawful carrying of a firearm.”
