Ex-TCU star, Minnesota Vikings 1st-round pick Jeff Gladney found not guilty of assault
Former TCU standout Jeff Gladney, who was a 2020 first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings, was found not guilty of assault on Thursday.
A Dallas County Court exonerated Gladney of the charge, according to a report by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Gladney was cut in August by the Vikings hours after he was indicted by a Dallas grand jury on a third-degree felony charge of family violence assault, according to court records.
Gladney faced two to 10 years in prison, if convicted.
At the time of his indictment, Gladney’s agent Brian Overstreet said Gladney was innocent.
“It’s a good thing that innocent until proven guilty still exists in this country,” Overstreet said in a release at the time. “Unfortunately, the Vikings don’t view it the same way.”
Overstreet said the complaining witness requested that the case not be prosecuted.
“We look forward to his day in court so that he can clear his name,” he said at the time.
Gladney was arrested on April 5, three days after the alleged assault. The woman filed a civil lawsuit against Gladney in July, seeking at least $1 million in damages for allegedly beating her for more than two hours.
He played in all 16 games for the Vikings in 2020, including 15 starts. He had 81 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, with three passes defended and one forced fumble.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 4:34 PM.
