In a matter of just a few weeks, both of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ first-round picks from the 2020 NFL Draft are now off the roster due to off-the-field issues. The latest is cornerback Damon Arnette, who the team released on Monday, GM Mike Mayock confirmed. The release comes in the immediate aftermath of a disturbing video surfacing on social media that showed Arnette waving multiple guns around and threatening to kill someone.
“Very painful decision,” Mayock said of releasing Arnette, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. “We spent significant time, effort and resources trying to help him in all aspects of his life. … We cannot stand for the video of Damon with a gun, threatening to take a life.”
This release also comes as Arnette faces a lawsuit stemming from an incident in Henderson, Nevada on Oct. 14, 2020 where he is alleged to have left the scene of an accident after colliding with another car. The alleged victim suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash and the complaint alleges Arnette was traveling at a high rate of speed to “avoid being late for a meeting” at the Raiders facility. Records show that Arnette did plead guilty of failure to maintain a lane and duty to stop at an accident, but the alleged victim, Yaneth Casique, is also seeking damages from the 25-year-old and the Raiders organization as her lawsuit notes that she has since taken on $92,000 in medical bills.
Even before these issues arose, Arnette — who has been on IR with a groin injury — hadn’t lived up to his No. 19 overall draft billing after coming out of Ohio State. Last season, he allowed 78.1% of balls thrown in his direction to be completed while opposing quarterbacks had a 106.9 passer rating against him.
Of course, this release comes just days after the Raiders also severed ties with wide receiver Henry Ruggs III — taken No. 12 overall in 2020 — as he faces a maximum 46-year prison sentence following a fatal DUI accident.
