Broncos ‘Excuse’ Cooper From Minicamp After His Recent Domestic Violence Arrests

The Denver Broncos excused outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper from their mandatory minicamp after he was arrested twice in a seven-day span on multiple domestic violence charges, including one felony, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. 

Coach Sean Payton commented on the situation after practice today, couching what happened in language that made it sound like Cooper was involved in some sort of self-help scenario rather than criminal proceedings. 

"He's taking this time, obviously, he's got to work on himself,'' Broncos coach Sean Payton said after Tuesday's practice. "The club is very much in tuned to the league office, local authorities here, and we've had several meetings. Clearly from an ownership standpoint, head coach, organizationally, there's a bar that we have, and an expectation that we have, that's very high. 

“We'll consider all of that as we continue to gather the information ... we're continuing to go through that process, and we take it very seriously.''

The 28-year old Cooper was first arrested on June 4 by police in Parker, Colorado after an argument and confrontation with his girlfriend. He faced multiple charges from that arrest, according to Legwold, and the incident escalated into a second round of charges after Cooper was arrested again last Thursday, also on multiple charges that included harassment. 

Cooper appeared in Douglas County Court on Friday and was releaased on a personal recognizance bond, and he was ordered to abide by a strict “no contact” protection order, and he must have permission to travel outside Colorado. 

The Broncos opened minicamp today, and Legwold noed that this is the only offseason activity for which players can be fined if they miss days. It remains unclear if Cooper will be fined after the Broncos took this action. 

Cooper’s future in Denver is also unclear. The Broncos end minicamp on Thursday, and after that there are no organized team activities until late July, when training camp will officially begin. 

The linebacker’s legal calendar will be full before that, however. He’s scheduled for motions hearings on July 6 and July 24, and according to Legwold there weill be one hearing for each arrest. 

Payton was also asked Tuesday if the Broncos were going to let the legal process play out before reaching a conclusion. 

“There's a process period from the league and that involves the local law enforcement,” the coach said. “We'll continue to gather that information.''

Cooper also faces the strong possibility of an NFL suspension when his legal process is done, and the league is monitoring the situation, according to a spokesman’s statement last week.