Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy was arrested on Friday and booked on assault charges.
However, authorities in Williamson County, Texas, have declined to press charges ‘at this time,’ according to the Austin American-Statesman.
County jail records show that Worthy was arrested and charged with assault against a family or household member by impeding their breathing or circulation.
‘We are aware and gathering information,” the Chiefs said in a statement Saturday morning.
That charge is a third-degree felony in Texas and is defined as ‘intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of the person by applying pressure to the person’s throat or neck or by blocking the person’s nose or mouth.’ It is punishable with a sentence of two to 10 years in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $10,000.
Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick on Saturday evening told the Statesman that, after speaking with multiple witnesses, his office is not accepting the case at this time.
“After further investigation by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and further discussion with a third-party witness, Mr. Worthy and his attorneys, this case is being declined at this time pending completion of the investigation by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office,’ reads an email from Dick’s office. ‘Mr. Worthy and his lawyers are fully cooperating with this investigation.
‘We will continue to evaluate the case. As is our practice with all declines, should you develop additional information indicative of probable cause in this case, our office will consider that information and may present the case at that time to a Williamson County Grand Jury.”
Worthy’s lawyers said in a statement that the allegations against their client were ‘baseless’ and that Worthy and a woman were in a dispute and she was asked to leave Worthy’s house, adding that the woman caused property damage and scratched Worthy’s face. The attorneys said Worthy did not want to press charges.
‘We will continue to cooperate with Williamson County authorities as we have full faith their thorough investigation will support Mr. Worthy’s innocence,’ the attorneys, Chip Lewis and Sam Bennett, said in a statement.
The 21-year-old Worthy, who played college football at the University of Texas, was selected with the No. 28 pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Chiefs after breaking the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Scouting Combine with a time of 4.21 seconds.
‘We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club,’ the NFL said in a statement Saturday.
Worthy caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for three touchdowns in his rookie season, adding three more touchdown catches in the playoffs.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
