Report: Chiefs Sign CB Damon Arnette to Reserve/Futures Contract
The Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly added another former first-round pick to their cornerback room after signing former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette to a reserve/futures contract, first reported by Field Yates of ESPN.
The Raiders waived Arnette in November after a video emerged of Arnette brandishing firearms and threatening to kill someone. Hondo Carpenter of Raider Maven summarized the situation and quoted then-general manager Mike Mayock, who was fired after the season:
"Today we waived Damon Arnette," Mayock said. "We spent significant time and resources to help him. We can't stand the video of Damon with a gun threatening to take a life."
There was great concern surrounding Damon Arnette from a character perception, and Mayock addressed that.
"There was significant concern," yet Mayock said the Raiders organization felt that was something the team could handle. "It's just as important to me that these guys are good in the community as well as good football players."
The video of Arnette, embedded below, contains strong language.
Arnette was also the subject of a lawsuit involving an October car crash, summarized by Joseph Salvador of SI.com:
The same day the video went viral, TMZ reported that Arnette was the subject of a lawsuit after he was involved in a car crash last October. Arnette struck a woman's car in Las Vegas and the lawsuit claims he left the scene of the crash before exchanging information with the woman.
Arnette stated he made an illegal turn but stayed long enough to make sure the woman was all right, per documents obtained by TMZ. He had a friend stay behind at the scene, but he did not provide any information to her and tried taking the blame.
Arnette also "crashed four rental cars within roughly a month," according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Arnette joins cornerbacks Deandre Baker and Mike Hughes as former first-round picks who landed in KC after being drafted by another team. The Chiefs signed another formerly highly drafted cornerback, Green Bay Packers draft pick Josh Jackson, earlier this season but released him from their practice squad on January 18.
