Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper has issued a public apology following a weekend incident that led to both him and his girlfriend being arrested on domestic violence charges. The altercation reportedly arose from a dispute over alleged infidelity.
According to records from Douglas County jail, Cooper, 28, was detained on suspicion of two counts of domestic violence, in addition to a charge of criminal mischief. The arrest took place late Thursday night, with Parker Police taking him into custody at 11:16 p.m., and he was subsequently booked into jail in the early hours of Friday morning at 2:38 a.m.
Jade Fiegen, Cooper’s girlfriend, who is also 28, faced similar charges of domestic violence and criminal mischief. Both were involved in the altercation that brought the situation to the attention of law enforcement.
Cooper made his initial court appearance on Friday in the 23rd Judicial District Court. He is scheduled to return on Monday for a disposition hearing, which will further address the charges against him.
In a statement to The Denver Post, Cooper’s lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, confirmed that Cooper was granted a personal recognizance bond. This bond allowed Cooper to be released from custody without the need for an immediate bail payment, pending his upcoming court appearance.
But now he’s taken to social media to apologize for his actions and he also shared a passage of the Bible with his 60,000 followers.
Denver Broncos star Jonathon Cooper was arrested on two counts of domestic violence
He apologized for his actions and also shared a passage of the Bible with his 60,000 followers
Cooper wrote: ‘I realize posting a Bible quote right after something very serious happens does not just mean everything is okay. I apologize to my family, to my friends and my community… and so many others.
‘Sincerely, I apologize. This situation is not who I am.’Â
According to the arrest affidavit seen by The Daily Mail, Cooper and Fiegen, who have been dating for ‘approximately four years’, were arguing inside his apartment over allegations he was cheating on her.
Fiegen said she took his phone from Cooper, threw it across the room and then went to retrieve it so she could look through it.
Cooper told police he grabbed Fiegen by her upper arms and eventually managed to get his phone back from her. When she tried again to grab his phone, Cooper told officers he braced his neck against hers to stop her from reaching it.
After the physical struggle had ended, Cooper told officers he went over to the couch and picked up Fiegen’s phone. He told her if she didn’t leave the apartment, he was going to break her phone.Â
Cooper then said Fiegen didn’t leave and admitted he bit her phone, which caused ‘disabling damage’. Police officers reported that her phone had a ‘cracked screen’.
Fiegen described the incident differently. The affidavit for her arrest shows she told a separate officer that Cooper ‘grabbed her by the neck’ and held her up against the wall for approximately a minute.
Cooper is key to the Broncos’ defense and played every single game in the last three seasons
Fiegen also said he picked her up and threw her on the ground approximately three times, and punched the wall ‘next to her face.’
But the officer wrote in the affidavit that the injuries she observed on the Fiegen’s body did not match her retelling of the assault.
‘I observed a small mark on (the woman’s) neck, where she claimed Jonathan grabbed her,’ the affidavit reads.
‘I also observed scratches on (her) arm and a small cut on her hand. These markings and scratches did not appear consistent with a larger male lifting (her) up into the air by her throat as well as repeatedly being thrown to the ground.
‘The small mark on (the woman’s) neck did not appear to be consistent with the claim that (she) had been held up in the air by her throat by another individual.’
Cooper, who was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, had been practicing earlier on Thursday before the incident took place.
‘We are aware of the matter and are gathering more information,’ the Broncos said in a statement.Â
Cooper has mae himself an indispensable piece of the Broncos’ defense and has played every single game in the last three seasons, recording 27 sacks.
Last season, Cooper helped the Broncos reach the playoffs and beat the Buffalo Bills before they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
In November 2024, the Broncos signed Cooper to a four-year contract extension worth up to $60 million that included $33m in guarantees.