KC Chiefs' Andy Reid Shares First Comments on Justyn Ross Arrest, Team's Process
The Kansas City Chiefs are back at practice on Wednesday as they continue to prepare for a Sunday afternoon game against the Denver Broncos. That includes wide receiver Justyn Ross, who was confirmed by head coach Andy Reid to be participating in the afternoon's work alongside his teammates.
On Monday afternoon, Ross was arrested on a preliminarily listed felony charge of criminal damage in excess of $25,000. That then evolved into a pair of misdemeanor charges on Tuesday: criminal damage of less than $1,000 and domestic battery with no priors. Ross was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon and released from jail after pleading not guilty at his first hearing. The second-year receiver is due back in court later this year.
The Chiefs didn't issue any public comments on Ross's arrest on Monday or Tuesday, but Reid took the podium on Wednesday morning to discuss the situation.
"With Justyn Ross, just addressing that up front... we're taking in all the information and have been," Reid said. "He's back here, he'll work today and we'll just take it from there. Other than that, I really don't have any information for you other than what we've gathered."
When asked about the current balancing act of deciding to keep a player in Ross's shoes and allow him to practice, Reid said that no two situations are the exact same. Kansas City is still doing its due diligence to ensure that it's as informed as possible before making any future decisions, and that includes more than just Reid. General manager Brett Veach and other members of the organization are involved in that ongoing process.
"Listen, all the situations are different," Reid said. "Obviously, the law enforcement part of it, you listen to what the real details of what went on [are] and then we keep open communication with Brett, myself and our people that deal with the law enforcement. We make the final decision from there."
Ross, 23, signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent prior to last season. He spent his rookie campaign essentially being a redshirt player, recovering from injury and learning the system. After a productive offseason, training camp and preseason slate, the former Clemson standout made Kansas City's initial 53-man roster and has been active in every single regular season game. In seven contests, he has three receptions for 34 yards.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been quite complimentary of Ross's talent in the recent past, and he was asked about the arrest on Wednesday following Reid's media availability. Mahomes indicated that he didn't know too much about the circumstances.
"We love Justyn," Mahomes said. "I don't know too many of the details as far as that goes. In this locker room, it's a brotherhood, so we just try to pick each other up as much as possible."
Additional Wednesday Chiefs updates
Wide receiver Justin Watson will return to practice on Wednesday and work in some capacity, per Reid. The 27-year-old wideout suffered an elbow contusion late in the team's Week 6 win over the Denver Broncos but avoided a stint on the injured reserve list.
In additional Chiefs injury news, Reid said linebacker Nick Bolton had surgery on his dislocated wrist on Tuesday in Los Angeles. When asked whether he'll go on the injured reserve list (Bolton is expected to miss at least six weeks), Reid echoed that the general manager is still sorting through everything.
"Veach is going through all that now, so I'll get you that information," Reid said. "We'll just see. The one positive is that he didn't have to have any metal put in there, so that was a positive going forward. Veach is on top of all that."
